Mannerism

The term Mannerism comes from the Italian word maniera, used in the sixteenth century to suggest self-aware elegance and grace to the point of artifice. The Mannerism movement took place after the Hight Renaissance and before the Baroque period, and still causes controversy amoung scholars to ths day.* The Mannerist artists such as Parmigianino, Pontormo, Bronzino and even Michelangelo (see his style change from the Sistine Ceiling to the Last Judgment) all revered classicism, but broke away from it ever so slightly to create a style rich in distortion, swirling compositions, and self-conscious stylization. Look through our artists here, and remember, if you don't see the image you are looking for, contact us. We can still recreate it.

* Art History: Eighteenth to Twenty-First Century Art, Third Edition; Marilyn Stokstad; Pearson Education (2009)