Mannerism

Madonna with the Long Neck, photo courtesy

of Wikipedia CC

Mannerism, a painting style of heightened drama based on imitating the ideas and figures of the High Renaissance while manipulating the images, came about in the 1520s and lasted only until the 1580s. Mannerist painting is most notably recognized for attention to artificiality.  Francesco Parmigiano's Madonna with the Long Neck (1534-40) typifies the unique style of the Mannerist era.  Though a traditional subject, Parmigiano’s painting differs drastically from the High Renaissance Madonna and Child depictions.

The unbalanced and asymmetric composition rejects the harmonious paintings of Raphael and Michelangelo.  The figures in this piece crowd to the front left of the composition, so much that the artist later added a small figure in the bottom right to add a sense of depth and balance  The heads of five women overlook the Madonna, who towers over them.

Madonna profile, photo courtesy of Wikipedia CC

The man in the far right, unfinished,

photo courtesy of Wikipedia CC

There is little architecture to provide a sense of space, depth, or size.  The Madonna’s cloak fills the entire center of the piece, hiding whatever throne she sits on.  The only architecture is a line of columns in the background, which serve no substantial architectural purpose but add an odd illusion of never ending depth.

The elongated baby Jesus, photo courtesy of Wikipedia CC

Lastly, the Madonna and Child are strangely out of proportion.  The body of baby Jesus is childlike yet elongated, so he drapes over his mother’s lap, while the body of Mary is also largely out of proportion.  Her elongated body also stretches to tower over the figures in the painting, while her legs are too large, in order to account for her large son. 

The painting, ultimately, represents the artist’s reaction to the High Renaissance.  Artists of the mannerist era were reacting not only to the style of High Renaissance painting, but also to the Catholic Church, which was undergoing a great deal of turmoil at the time.