Mannerism

Pontormo Detail from The Visitation Mannerism

Pontormo: The Neglected Mannerist Painter

Pontormo was a Renaissance painter, admired by both Michelangelo and Raphael. His first apprenticeship was in Leonardo da Vinci's workshop. His work is treasured by The National Gallery and The Uffizi. His luminous work is truly magnificent, so why is he so neglected?

Guest Profile 7 October 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: An Allegory with Venus and Cupid by Agnolo Bronzino

An Allegory with Venus and Cupid by Agnolo Bronzino from the National Gallery in London is one of the most mysterious masterpieces of Mannerism. It...

Joanna Kaszubowska 5 July 2024

Fashion

Most Beautiful Dresses: Portrait of Eleanor of Toledo by Agnolo Bronzino

The best-known image of Eleanor of Toledo is also one of the most beautiful dresses in art history. Don’t be too distracted by the beauty of the...

Vithória Konzen Dill 17 June 2024

Masterpiece Stories

Masterpiece Story: Madonna with the Long Neck by Parmigianino

Parmigianino’s Madonna with the Long Neck is a masterpiece of Italian Mannerism that presents an unusual interpretation of traditional depictions...

James W Singer 16 June 2024

Bizarre

Chilling Beauty: Exploring Europe’s Bone Churches

From the ancient period through the 18th century, European Catholics and Orthodox Christians displayed and maintained bones of the deceased to honor...

Julia Bourbois 28 March 2024

European Art

Queen Elizabeth I – Portraits of the Last Tudor

Queen Elizabeth I (1533-1603) was the only surviving child of King Henry VIII of England and his second wife Anne Boleyn. Being a girl was hard...

Sarah Mills 20 March 2024

Artist Stories

6 Things You Must Know About Parmigianino

Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola, known as Parmigianino (1503–1540) was a great Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome,...

Zuzanna Stańska 11 January 2024

Mannerism

Parmigianino: Capturing Everyday Early Modern Life Through Drawings

Francesco Mazzola, known as Parmigianino, produced many drawings that captured normal scenes of everyday life during the early modern period. These...

Nina Relf 11 January 2024

Mannerism

Tuscan Secret Spot: Colosso Appenninico in Vaglia

A 30-minute drive from central Florence lies a true Tuscan secret: a 16th-century sculpture Colosso Appenninico by Giambologna. Discover with us this...

Noa Weisberg 2 January 2024

Art History 101

Elegance and Drama: All You Need to Know About Mannerism

Young artists who left workshops in the years following the activity of Michelangelo and Raphael must have had a very hard time: how could one create...

Magda Michalska 2 January 2024

Mannerism

Arcimboldo’s Allegories of the Seasons

Giuseppe Arcimboldo’s paintings of the four seasons have been astonishing audiences from the 16th century up to this day. Even though allegorical...

Anastasia Manioudaki 2 January 2024

Mannerism

The Mannerist Splendor: Meet Four Powerful Women of Bronzino

Agnolo di Cosimo (1503–1572), known as Bronzino, was an Italian Mannerist painter. He lived and worked in Florence and became the court painter of...

Joanna Kaszubowska 2 January 2024