In this video, we continue to look at art history to inform our painting and drawing.
As we transition from the High Renaissance to Baroque, a period characterized by a shift in artistic conventions. The High Renaissance, exemplified by the works of Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael, prioritized ideals of beauty, balance, and harmony.
However, as we transition and subsequent artists began to question these established principles, exploring alternative approaches to representation.
The focus of this analysis is Francesco Parmigianino and his Madonna with the Long Neck. This work demonstrates a departure from traditional proportions, presenting a deliberate distortion that challenges conventional notions of beauty. The reasons for this stylistic choice remain speculative, but it is suggested that artists may have been experimenting with established forms, seeking to introduce elements of subjectivity and individual expression.
The influence of Michelangelo’s work, particularly the Pietà, is considered in relation to this evolving aesthetic. The proportions within the Pietà, while adhering to certain classical ideals, also possess a distinct character that may have contributed to the broader shift towards Mannerism.
It is important to note that this transition was gradual, representing an evolution rather than a sudden rupture. Viewers are encouraged to engage critically with works of art, considering the choices made by artists and the underlying intentions that informed their creative processes. Further exploration of artists such as Tintoretto is recommended for a more comprehensive understanding of this period.
0:00 - Introduction - Transition from the High Renaissance. 0:45 - High Renaissance Overview - Focus on beauty, balance, and harmony. 1:45 - Analysis of Parmigianino & Madonna with the Long Neck 3:45 - Michelangelo's Influence - Discussing Impact on Mannerism. 5:00 - The Gradual Transition - Explaining that the shift was not sudden.
At Art Secrets Studio, we believe that everyone has the potential to be an artist. We'll teach you some of the tools and knowledge you need to unlock your artistic potential. In the process, we'll demystify the theories and concepts of the Old [guys] Masters and help you understand how to apply them in your art. Our systematic modules teach you the tools for application.
Hey, this is Chris.
As we go through the history of art and we've just completed the
high Renaissance and now we moved on to mannerism, it's still kind
of strange for me to say, okay, at a thousand AD, we start this
quest to, uh, Florence in Italy to become the new ancient Rome
and Greece and to take on Aristotle and Socrates and all
their thoughts about humanism and the intelligence of the
human mind and the brain and the beauty of the, the, the figure
and nature and, uh, and to study and to be so intelligent.
And as we get closer and closer into the Renaissance period, you
start to see this giant ship turning to the left or to the
right.
And, and now starting heading that direction and a little at a
time, we get to this crescendo of, of Leonardo, Michelangelo
and Raphael and say, oh my gosh, look at this work.
And they're spectacular.
And they reach a pinnacle that I'm these three geniuses do
things that, uh, personally, I don't think anyone's ever done
before, not to mention all the architecture and everything
that's done in Florence at that time, thanks to the Medici money
and that, and the idea of, um, helping the artists become one
community.
As we venture into new period of art, we're now into mannerism
and it's almost like, gosh, if you, no, one's going to do it,
not making this up, but if no, one's going to do it like
Michelangelo and, and Leonardo, and then we're going to do our
own thing.
And what if, what if we look for the beauty and things, and
instead of making the perfect proportion, like Leonardo's
body, and you have so many heads down and whatever it is, and
you say, well, that may be beauties in the eye of the
beholder, different talk about Versailles and Hume and
different art historians, Ruskin that how they talk about
art's perception is no longer perfect proportions, but it's
actually the way you make a mark or the carving with a crayon
that could be beautiful, evoking a mood at different talk.
I can't get sidetracked.
So mannerism is this one of the phases is best shown by
Parmigiano and elongating the figure.
So let me show you what he does.
So you have the S curve is still going on, going from one side
to the other and leading you to the other side.
So that S curve for creating movement and grace is still
there in the picture.
But what you're noticing now is the neck might be just a little
longer and her shoulders are tiny and frail.
But what if I made her body come out longer?
And you know where this actually happens, Leonardo Michelangelo
sculpture piece of the Pieta in Rome at St.
Peter's, the body of Mary is much bigger than it should have
been in proportion to the figure, but it had to be larger
to hold the weight or I think the marble cracks and breaks.
So Michelangelo understood the problems with the physics
and the weight.
So is it possible Parmigiano takes this and says, you know,
I think that's beautiful in its own way.
Now, again, he's not talking to me and I'm making the whole
thing up.
So this elongating of the figures and making everything bigger
and longer because the longer that figure is, the more graceful
it is.
And then what better way to make it longer?
But let's go ahead and bellow out her shirt and make it even
longer.
So it makes the body look like, you know, it's much farther
along or much farther and even bigger.
And you're just telling the world that there's beauty in the
elongating of the figure and you're still lighter and darker
than the background.
The hands lighter, the head's darker.
The background's darker.
Her stomach is lighter.
The baby's lighter.
And then areas in here are darker.
So you still have some of the past coming with you.
And you'll notice that in art history, by the way, art history
never jumps.
If you've walked in museums chronologically, what I would do
is I would start in the first room and say, okay, 1280, what
am I looking at?
What do I see?
Pattern and texture.
Then I walk into the next room.
What do I see?
Oh, gosh.
Now there's frames being incorporated into the painting.
It's not just the painting anymore.
And then the next room, what do I see?
Oh, now you're seeing textures and 3D shapes of texture and
pattern in the painting.
And then the next room, you know, every 25, 50 years, now
the textures are in the frames and it's in the painting and
they're one in the same.
And then there's painting on the frames as well as the pictures.
And you see art taking pieces from the past as someone
invents something new.
You have the S-curve, you have the figure ground relationship,
the contrapposto where you're lighter and darker than the
background.
And now you have the elongating of figures, Parmigiano,
Mannerism, and we're headed to Baroque, but not just yet.
I can't skip one more artist and that is Tintorito.
