Comments on Smyth

Following after my previous post on Mannerism and its style, I wanted to continue on the topic with this reading.
Mannerism really found a decline in art as it tried to counter the High Renaissance, a rebellion (pg 27). Art became very stylized and with overt forms and construction. Although experimental, the painting remained generalized and intentional (not free) (27). Where did this desire to change the style originate from? The idea of painting changed. Painting became more of what it is today, a creative process that can be learned and practiced by anyone and studied in schools.... Rather than using painting as a way to express biblical text and lifestyle. The previous idea of painting was being destroyed. People were beginning to pick up a brush, trying to imitate Michelangelo and failing. With the freedom to paint, came the freedom to express that which was held in the imagination instead of focusing on nature. Mannerism really became the vehicle that brought painting from a highly respected profession to more of a hobby.

Here is my previous post from Freedberg's article.

I had difficulty grasping what Manniera in Art truly is. I found bits and pieces that describe the style in painting. For example “Forms are illumined by cool light, transmitted through air so thin it seems unbreathable.” The atmosphere is both transparent and clear. The figures and their behavior are aetheticized. Their form is deliberate and intentional, but graceful and civilized (pg 286). I was also intrigued by the commentary of plasticity and sculptural aspects of the painting. Raphael began to incorporate more sculpture-like figures into his later paintings, similar to those of Michelangelo. The mannerists would use this sculpturesque style as a guide to stylization in their paintings (pg 287).