Mannerism was a direct response to the Protestant 'threat' to the Catholic way of life and worship in 16th century Italy. Even though Mannerism spread to norther Europe, mannerist artists were working mostly in Italy. This movement in art history allowed artists to capture the sense of uneasiness felt by many people during the rise of Protestantism.
The artist Pontormo painted "Entombment" (Stokstadt, pg 661) which portrays Christ in a precarious position after he has been removed from the cross and his weight is being redistributed by the people carrying him. The painting also portrays Mary looking ephemeral and enigmatically at her son. This painting is in contrast to Parmigianino's painting "Madonna with the Long Neck" (Stokstadt, pg 662). Both paintings give the viewer the sense that the figures might come bursting out of the frame.
The figures in each painting are huge and strangely proportioned. Their poses are awkward and the viewer certainly feels unsettled. The Madonna painting specifically shows Mary with a very large lower body, her legs are long and thick whereas her upper body is small and slight. Her hands are weirdly slender with long, slim fingers. As the name of the painting points out, Mary's neck is also quite long and is also at an awkward angle. It is unclear as to what she might be sitting on, but whatever is it, it certainly doesn't allow the viewer to have any confidence that she will stay on it. Finally, the body of baby Jesus is quite large and languidly draped across Mary's very large lap seems almost lifeless and much too large to be a baby.
"Entombment" has a shadowy, non-grounding background; the viewer doesn't know where this scene is taking place. Jesus' torso is elongated, with his thighs being extremely short, strangely short even if Pontormo is going for foreshortening. In contrast with High Renaissance work, the figures don't seem to be carrying a weight at all. Their expressions and poses allow for this, but the modeling and weight of the figures doesn't really exist. Colors used in "Entombment" are bright, like the pinks, blues and yellows used, but are juxtaposed with brown and olive greens. The artist uses blue to highlight the skin of the figures. Mary's thickly muscled forearms are in direct contrast with her dainty wrists and comically short fingers. Compositionally, this painting is just odd. None of the faces of the figures are in the center of the painting, with the center being full of hands, which is different from the way people of this time period are used to viewing works of art. Nothing in this painting seems to be the focus of it, and yet everything in it is important. As noted in the lecture, the composition is more like a donut.
The Madonna painting is thought to have been left unfinished due to drawings found left behind by the artist and the strangely unresolved background. There is a small figure holding an unrolled scroll, looking out of the frame. The composition of this work as is stands is quite cramped to the left side of the work, with the focus really being Mary and her son.
Mannerists used oddly twisted figures, cramped compositions and unnatural or unrealistic bodily proportions to create unbalanced works which made the viewer aware of the unsettledness of the times these works were created.
The artist Pontormo painted "Entombment" (Stokstadt, pg 661) which portrays Christ in a precarious position after he has been removed from the cross and his weight is being redistributed by the people carrying him. The painting also portrays Mary looking ephemeral and enigmatically at her son. This painting is in contrast to Parmigianino's painting "Madonna with the Long Neck" (Stokstadt, pg 662). Both paintings give the viewer the sense that the figures might come bursting out of the frame.
The figures in each painting are huge and strangely proportioned. Their poses are awkward and the viewer certainly feels unsettled. The Madonna painting specifically shows Mary with a very large lower body, her legs are long and thick whereas her upper body is small and slight. Her hands are weirdly slender with long, slim fingers. As the name of the painting points out, Mary's neck is also quite long and is also at an awkward angle. It is unclear as to what she might be sitting on, but whatever is it, it certainly doesn't allow the viewer to have any confidence that she will stay on it. Finally, the body of baby Jesus is quite large and languidly draped across Mary's very large lap seems almost lifeless and much too large to be a baby.
"Entombment" has a shadowy, non-grounding background; the viewer doesn't know where this scene is taking place. Jesus' torso is elongated, with his thighs being extremely short, strangely short even if Pontormo is going for foreshortening. In contrast with High Renaissance work, the figures don't seem to be carrying a weight at all. Their expressions and poses allow for this, but the modeling and weight of the figures doesn't really exist. Colors used in "Entombment" are bright, like the pinks, blues and yellows used, but are juxtaposed with brown and olive greens. The artist uses blue to highlight the skin of the figures. Mary's thickly muscled forearms are in direct contrast with her dainty wrists and comically short fingers. Compositionally, this painting is just odd. None of the faces of the figures are in the center of the painting, with the center being full of hands, which is different from the way people of this time period are used to viewing works of art. Nothing in this painting seems to be the focus of it, and yet everything in it is important. As noted in the lecture, the composition is more like a donut.
The Madonna painting is thought to have been left unfinished due to drawings found left behind by the artist and the strangely unresolved background. There is a small figure holding an unrolled scroll, looking out of the frame. The composition of this work as is stands is quite cramped to the left side of the work, with the focus really being Mary and her son.
Mannerists used oddly twisted figures, cramped compositions and unnatural or unrealistic bodily proportions to create unbalanced works which made the viewer aware of the unsettledness of the times these works were created.
I enjoy that your thesis focus on the uneasiness of the time period. Although the art depicts this unease in a variety of different ways, I dont necessarily think that everyone makes that connection.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about how it may have been that in the Madonna with the long neck the artist left it unfinished. This perhaps would explain how these figures Mary and child seem to be floating in space while seated in a non existent chair. Thanks for an interesting reading.
ReplyDeleteSomething I've noticed about the painting of "Madonna with a Long Neck" is the fact that the Christ child is precariously placed on the Madonna's lap. He looks like he's about to fall off her lap, and his pale complexion and reclined position remind me of the Christ figure in the Entombment. His body position doesn't look like a live child to me, his arm and head hang flacid and unresponsive, just like that of the Christ figure int he other painting.
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