Mannerism : A Risk of Overdiagnosis in Iconodiagnosis
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Mannerism is an artistic movement that emerged in early 16th-century Italy as a reaction against the aesthetic criteria of the Renaissance, which were inspired by ancient sculpture. The perfect proportions and mathematically constructed architectural perspectives were rejected by young artists who drew inspiration from Michelangelo’s later works and his use of twisted, contorted bodies. It is the “maniera”—the personal manner or style of painting, that is, the creativity of each artist freed from established norms—that takes precedence.
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In his Deposition, Pontormo eliminates all architectural elements; the intertwined movements of the figures form a spiral that seems to rise toward the heavens. The use of bright, acidic, contrasting colors is characteristic of this period.
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Parmigianino’s Madonna with the Long Neck is emblematic of the elongation and distortion of bodies, which might evoke elastic tissue disorders such as Marfan syndrome. The column parallel to the Virgin’s neck alludes to the Canticle comparing the Mother of Christ to a pillar of faith.
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The deformation of Christ’s body and his elongated posture on his mother’s lap evoke Michelangelo’s Pietà far more than a traditional Madonna and Child. Indeed, the angel holds a vase on which a cross can be seen—an allusion to Christ’s future crucifixion.
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Toussaint Dubreuil, a representative of the Fontainebleau School, helped spread Mannerism in France. The distorted bodies of the two young women in his works correspond to no real pathology.
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Bronzino, who was Pontormo’s pupil, tempered his palette with darker tones but retained the taste for elongated silhouettes and twisting movements in his portraits.
- Understanding this artistic period helps prevent excessive diagnoses!
Jacopo PONTORMO (1494 – 1557)
La déposition (1525)
Eglise Santa Felicita
Florence
Francesco Mazzola dit Parmigianino (1503-1540)
La Madone au long cou, 1534,
Musée des Offices
Florence.
Toussaint Dubreuilh (1561-1602) et son atelier
Hyante et Climène à leur toilette (Ronsard, La Franciade, troisième livre) 1600-1625
Musée du Louvre
Paris
Bronzino (1503-1572)
Portrait d’Ugolino Martelli, 1540
Gemälde galerie
Berlin
