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Mannerism Normally understood to refer to an artistic style prevailing in Italy and northern Europe in the 16th Century, the term "Mannerism" can be traced back to its Italian root, "maniera." This word was originally used to mean "style." However, the precise style that this term designates is difficult to define clearly. Roughly speaking, the mannerist style encompasses a group of characteristic features employed by various artists, and these features include theatrically contorted poses, overwrought facial expressions, gratuitous nudity, exaggerated muscularity, and overcrowded compositions. Dating back to the death of Raphael and the disintegration of the "high Renaissance," the term, "Mannerism," is now used by art historians to distinguish the late-Renaissance period from that of da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael. Thus, Mannerism now names a period of art as well as a particular style that prevailed during that period. Both stylistically and chronologically, Mannerism (1520-1600) connects the high Renaissance period (1500-1520), with its exalted themes, and the Baroque period (1600-1700), with its stress on dynamic movement and intense emotions. |
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