During the Renaissance and Mannerist Periods, interest in themes of religion and stories from the Bible did not diminish but took on new forms. Parmigianino and Raphael Santi are two epochal artists of the 16th century who have entered the history of world art. The change in the world’s visual arts history rests partly on their shoulders. This essay compares the two artists’ paintings mentioned above, depicting the Madonna, and analyzes these works from a fine arts perspective.
The two authors have in common that in each, the semantic emphasis and attention are drawn to Mary as the central image. At the same time, there are certainly stylistic differences between Marriage of the Virgin and Madonna with the Long Neck. In Madonna with the Long Neck, there is a higher level of hidden eroticism, not very natural static poses, and the faces of the characters depicted: the angels, the little Jesus, and Madonna. The faces of the painting’s characters are distinguished by nervousness and concentration on the moment (Kappe). There are far fewer static objects in Raphael’s paintings, and the characters in the pictures are dynamic and natural. The light in Parmigianino’s painting is more subdued, which may symbolize the moment’s intimacy (Kappe). The dark tones of the painting hint at mystery and spiritualism. Marriage of the Virgin is executed in bright, eye-catching tones, corresponding to the theme of the painting – a happy wedding.
Mannerist paintings are notable for their unrealistic portrayal of man and their distortion of perspective. The figure of the angel Hieronymus in Madonna with the Long Neck is tiny (Kappe). A row of columns pressed against each other reinforces the sense of emptiness in the painting. The author used this technique to show how unrealistic and irrational the story from the Bible is (Augustyn). On the other hand, Raphael Santi uses a mathematically accurate perspective in his work, a legacy of ancient art: the proportional temple in the background and the flat and plausible figures of the saints in the foreground.
Both authors drew their inspiration from Biblical subjects, important to the people of the time, as well as from ancient pictorial techniques and attention to the human body (Augustyn). The styles of the two authors are not particularly similar when considering these particular paintings. At the same time, some works by Raphael Santi influenced Parmigianino’s paintings, but he later moved away from the ideas of the High Renaissance (Campbell). It is important to note how the cultural context influenced the creation of the Marriage of the Virgin and Madonna with the Long Neck. Raphael’s paintings are more cheerful, painted during the heyday of Italy, and do not bear the imprint of the tragic events of the 20s and 30s of the 16th century, such as the sacking of Rome (Campbell). Subsequent economic and political events, the crisis of the southern European region, and the murder of many artists already influenced the work of the Mannerists, including Parmigianino.
The work of the High Renaissance was the forerunner of Mannerism, its antipode in terms of visual techniques and methods of representation. Complex historical events in Europe marked a crisis, provoking a sharp decline in the value of humanist ideals in society. This change in cultural context could not help but be reflected in the visual arts. The paintings examined and compared in this essay affirm this thesis. Despite their common religious themes, Raphael and Parmigianino take very different approaches to depict their subjects on canvas.
Works Cited
Augustyn, Adam. “Raphael”.The Encyclopedia Britannica, Web.
Campbell, Gordon. The Oxford Illustrated History of the Renaissance. Oxford University Press, 2019.
Kappe, Eelco. “Madonna with the Long Neck by Parmigianino”. Tripimprover, Web.