Mannerism and Baroque Art: A Comparative Overview

Posted on Sep 6, 2024 in Arts and Humanities

Mannerism (16th Century)

Characteristics

Mannerism, a style bridging the Renaissance and Baroque periods, is characterized by the distortion of elements like proportion and space, creating a sense of artificiality and elegance.

Architecture

Mannerist architecture employed visual trickery and unexpected elements, challenging Renaissance norms.

Sculpture

  • More expressive than Renaissance sculpture.
  • Exemplified by artists like Giambologna, Cellini, Berruguete, and Juan de Juni.
  • Depicted religious and mythological themes.
  • Materials: marble, wood, bronze.

Painting

  • Figures in contorted or twisting poses and foreshortening.
  • Elongated proportions and unrealistic spatial illusion.
  • Experimentation with traditional subjects, intensifying drama and adding complex layers of meaning.
  • Notable artists: Michelangelo, Tintoretto, Arcimboldo, Veronese, El Greco, Titian.

Baroque (17th-18th Centuries)

Characteristics

Baroque was a European and Latin American artistic style emphasizing movement, drama, and grandeur.

Architecture

  • Incorporation of movement into building designs, particularly churches and palaces.
  • Curved cornices, split pediments, oval and elliptical shapes.
  • Elaborate interiors with Solomonic columns and frescoed domes.
  • Key figures: Gian Lorenzo Bernini and Francesco Borromini in Rome.

Sculpture

  • Representation of movement and naturalism.
  • Exaggerated gestures, dramatic expressions, and figures in action.
  • Curved lines and dynamic folds in clothing.
  • Materials: marble, alabaster, bronze, wood.
  • Religious and mythological themes.
  • Bernini as a prominent figure.

Sculpture in Spain

  • Similar characteristics to Baroque sculpture in general.
  • Focus on movement, naturalism, dramatic expression.
  • Use of various materials and religious/mythological themes.

Painting

  • Realism: Depiction of nature as it is, including the grotesque and deformed.
  • Emphasis on color over drawing.
  • Chiaroscuro and tenebrism: Dramatic use of light and shadow, creating spotlight effects.
  • Techniques like foreshortening, asymmetry, and undulating lines to enhance drama and movement.
  • Major painters: Velázquez, Caravaggio, Rembrandt, Rubens, Poussin, Vermeer.