Did la maniera cause the decline or
corruption of Cinquento painting, or was it a new style that emerged as artists
became more inventive and restless with the proven classical style of painting? As proven over the centuries, artists do break
from the tradition of painting to create a new aesthetic, expressiveness style,
which, oftentimes, is rejected by the public or patrons, such as Impressionism.
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| Immaculate Conception, Vasari |
Most
importantly, la maniera developed because there was a high demand for
extensive, quick decorations. Artists
began to seek a different way of doing things, based their work on their
imagination and applied themselves to working that was fast and completely maniroso. The artists produced paintings that were
excessively accentuated with figures, who expressed grace and refinement; overly
emphasized Michelangelo’s muscular nudes, which were multiplied and exaggerated
into meaningless poses and at the same time crowded; and added confusion and
flatness to the picture plane through the figure, light and space.
Well-known
High Renaissance writer, Dolce, as well as others disapproved of the art, la maniera,
and thought it bad practice to paint the same forms and faces with the same expressions
and movements. On the other hand, Vasari
(a mature Mannerism painter), considered la
maniera as the method of copying frequently the most beautiful things and
combining them to make the most beautiful figure(s) possible in hands, heads,
bodies or legs.
From
numerous researched sources, both articles revealed, that la maniera was more than the elongation of the figure. La maniera consisted of angular elements,
such as an arm held angular to the air and adhered to the principles of
angularity, which were generally diagonal. Another characteristic, was the tendency to
flatten the figure parallel to the picture plane so that poses were often
abruptly twisted in two or three directions or foreshortened. On the other hand, light was considered the
hallmark of maniera and added to its uniformity. Whatever surface the flat light touched, flat
or not, it had a tendency to look flat, whereas shadow was reserved for
surfaces that receded or projected. In
addition, the ground was tilted upward, which placed the rear figures higher
and the space was deep, shallow or eliminated. All in all, the chief focus of la maniera was on the figure with
exaggerated refinement, grace, and elegance and often inserted into a variety
of unusual poses, which were sometimes perplexingly complicated.
Well expressed, and useful. And good question to begin the statement with.
ReplyDeleteI always liked learning about mannerism. I liked the idea of showing beauty by exaggerating specific areas whether or not they made sense with the rest of the piece. For instance, Parmigianino's Madonna with the Long Neck. He accentuated her neck implying that long necks are beautiful. Even though she now looks a little off, the viewer gets his idea of beauty. Mannerism has an abstract feel that I like.
ReplyDeleteI must not have grasped the article's words about the flat light, but that is apparent in the artwork. That flatness, or stark quality of the color/light must be different from Michelangelo's more chiaroscuro work--since I don't believe our readings mentioned that term at all.
ReplyDeleteThe non-sensical poses of the figures are interesting in the way that , when rendered in multitude, they subvert from the focal point of the piece. That being said, I find the poses extremely interesting and creative. I also find the color scheme interesting. The pastels in combination with flattened light that often mark mannerism, always remind me of the pink, purple, and orange that adorn the interiors of Taco Bell's.
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