Mannerism

I was largely drawn to the concept of Mannerism in arts. Quoting it from Wiki -

“Where High Renaissance art emphasises proportion, balance, and ideal beauty, Mannerism exaggerates such qualities, often resulting in compositions that are asymmetrical or unnaturally elegant.Notable for its artificial (as opposed to naturalistic) qualities, this artistic style privileges compositional tension and instability rather than the balance and clarity of earlier Renaissance painting.” The famous “Madonna with a long neck” by 16th century artist Parmigianino is known to exemplify this. (https://lnkd.in/d3dcSfpg)

Madonna with long neck

I kept staring at the painting and I really found it as perfect as the Renaissance paintings. Except for the “long neck” which was accentuated. Or maybe I noticed the long neck because of the name of the painting. Not sure!

And then I realised maybe in the context of the Renaissance these paintings were in a way “imperfect” and it does make sense to me now.

There are many modern artists who are “perfectly imperfect”. One of the artists whose works I admire is the 19th century artist Amedeo Modigliani. I wonder “Is this Mannerism in the Modern Art context?” Or “Are the Italian artists naturally bent towards this style?”

Artwork by Modigliani