Introduction
Mannerism is an artistic style popular among Italian artists, sculptors, and architects in the 16th century. According to Gardner and Kleiner, the main distinctive feature of mannerism is artifice (p. 274). It appeared as the contrast to the tendency of realism and implied the intended unnaturalness of complex composition. The term Mannerism takes its meaning from the Italian word maniera that means “style.” Thus, the primary approach of mannerism lies in being stylish and elegant.
Main body
Tintoretto, who claimed that he studied from Titian, employed Titian’s colors but enriched his works with mannerist details. The artist’s Last Supper remarkably contrasts with Da Vinci’s cognominal work. As Gardner and Kleiner claim, it is “imbued with dramatic power, depth of spiritual vision” (p. 277). The figures in the picture are placed in a chaotic and dark interior with spiritual details, such as shimmering halos. In contradiction to Leonardo’s geometrically arranged and balanced Last Supper, Tintoretto’s work is visually complex and has an imbalanced composition.
References
Gardner, Helen, and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner’s Art through the Ages: a Concise Global History. 3rd ed., Cengage Learning, 2017.