Qualities and Differences of Mannerist and Contemporary Artwork

The perspective of Madonna del collo lungo is over a grand scale, if one can take into account the columns as indicative of grandeur. Yet even that perspective is out of proportion, and not only because, as Hauser comments, the columns aid practically nothing and the painting itself was unfinished. For ones man on the scroll is not in appropriate perspective among the columns and the figures inside foreground. Meanwhile, the perspective of Artist Studio--The Dance is foreshortened, off scale--not to say irrelevant towards the picture--as truncated in its way as that of Madonna del collo lungo is deepened.

It need to not be expected that Madonna del collo lungo and Artist Studio--The Dance could be directly and programmatically compared and contrasted as mannerist works. As Hauser comments about virtually all artistic tendencies, "Artistic styles, achievements, and personalities are, like historical phenomena in general, unique" (Hauser, 1965, p. 355). His view is that mannerism like a variety is more an undercurrent than a standard of artistic judgment, and on that view the dissimilarities of 16th-century and late 20th-century compositions are bound to surface over their similarities. Yet in their incredibly


differences to each other as individual expressions, these paintings share features that have the effect of demonstrating ideas that show commonalities between 16th century mannerism and this example of pop art. As Hauser says of Parmigianino,

Kohn, Michael. (1984, March). Mannerism and current art: The type and its critics. Arts Magazine, pp. 72-7.

Only in theatrical stage settings, wherever the perspective simple fact of grand scenes is usually left towards imagination, is there a more familiar artistic abuse of depth. But even the theatrical analogy is misleading, for Madonna del collo lungo does not have a specific narrative content. How in any situation can a single explain the elongated and naked infant, presented for view for completely unexplained reasons just before a group of prepubescents--at least a single of whom is obviously fascinated by the Madonna as her role model and at least another of whom appears being peeking at the infant's genitals? The whole effect is frankly presentational, frankly theatrical, and artistically idiosyncratic instead of representational or an evocation of devotion. And yet it is the situation that this kind of representation as there is contains the realistic Renaissance referents.

If Parmigianino is held to become the mannerist par excellence, and his influence is regarded, not only as a constituent element but as the important characteristic and sine qua non of mannerism, the required consequence in formulating a definition with the style is that, whilst due attention will probably be paid to its aspiration to grace and beauty and its tendency to the sophisticated and affected, injustice will necessarily be done towards the other equally crucial factor, namely its aspiration to expressionism and spiritual depth; and therefore the true criterion of mannerism may be the exquisite and artificial, thus unacceptably restricting if not really distorting, the concept. Spiritualism and formalism are just as inseparably linked in mannerism as are the principles

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