I was given a book Frescoes from Florence an exhibition catalogue, Hayward Gallery, London 1969. But I see the works of Jacopo Pontormo (1494 – 1557) and I am thinking is it time to review the period of Mannerism? Although this period of art is much maligned it has been argued that the period gives a platform for 17th century artists on “the emphasis on light and colour, disregard of simple balance, and the preference for more complicated compositions.” E.H Gombrich, The Story of Art (Phaidon Press Ltd., 1960), 290. The style of art during this period was a reflection of the many upheavals in Europe at the time. Rome was sacked in 1527, by the King of Spain (Charles I) who controlled most of Europe and the New World. The new self-appointed ‘Emperor of Rome’ was not interested in arts, especially art by Italian artists. During this time the gesture on 31 October 1517 by a Catholic monk, Martin Luther (Ger.) suggesting you can go straight to Jesus to ask for forgiveness (as its written in the Holy Bible) rather than give cash to the church (as was the practice) caused many to question the authority of the Catholic Church - practically the only formalized Christian Church in Europe. The Church’s response was to launch the Counter Reformation, “a joyless, restrictive authoritative movement which had a Zero Tolerance policy toward Renaissance innovations (among many, many other things).” Shelley Esaak, “The Italian Late Renaissance and Mannerism - Art History 101 Basics. Sixteenth-century Italian Art” about, arthistory.about/cs/arthistory10one/a/late_ren.htm (accessed November 2, 2012). Portormo, on the other hand was going somewhere. Especially with his drawings all sinew and writhing bodies. It is worth a look into for my next blog for Art & Wine at maaretsinkko.
Posted on: Tue, 30 Dec 2014 00:49:03 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015