MANNERISM: DEFINITION, WORKS AND ARTISTS

Mannerism marks the end of Renaissance.
It’s a very long period, covering almost all the 16^th century and which was theorized for the first time by Giorgio Vasari, who indicated as masters of Renaissance absolute perfection Leonardo, Raphael and Michelangelo, whereas all the following artists would only imitate the greatest artists with no hope of creating something more beautiful and perfect.

That’s how you get to Mannerism, that is a style imitating the style of the greatest Renaissance masters.

Here are the major mannerist artists and their works.

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Composizione (1916) di Kandinskji – Museo del Novecento di Milano.

ABSTRACT ART

Abstract art is an artistic movement developed in the early 20^th century, and takes on the meaning of “not real”.
The path which led to Abstract art originated from Symbolism, which recalled sounds, feelings and emotions without necessarily representing reality for what it is, but inserting images more similar to dreams and nightmares.

Abstract art starts from here, and simplifies images more and more, until it makes them unrecognizable and assigns to colours and forms a meaning you can’t understand without an explanation.

In this post you’ll find the 5 most important things to know to understand Abstract art and the major artists of this artistic movement.

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Jacques-Louis David, ll giuramento degli Orazi, 1785. Image source: wikipedia.it

NEOCLASSICISM: WHAT IT IS AND WHEN IT DEVELOPED

In my blog I’ve often mentioned Neoclassicism. It happened when I talked about my visit to the exhibition “From Hayez to Boldini” in Brescia, and when I showed you the images of the new rooms dedicated to Antonio Canova at the Gallerie dell’Accademia in Venice.
I’ve been thinking about a post dedicated to Neoclassicism for a while, in order to explain once and for all in which period this movement developed and who the major artists of this movement are.

In this post you’ll find a definition of Neoclassicism.

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René Magritte, Il figlio dell’uomo, 1964.

SURREALISM: WHEN IT DEVELOPED AND WHAT IT REPRESENTS

Surrealism, more than an art movement, was a cultural movement, heir of Dadaism.

The Surrealist manifesto, written by André Breton, dates back to 1924, and it affirms that surreal is the only way to reach a superior reality, thanks to the fusion of two realities which characterize the human life: waking life and dream.

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BAROQUE ART: THE ARTISTS OF THE BAROQUE PERIOD

When I admire a Baroque masterpiece I always situate the artists of that period in the world of cinema. A far as I’m concerned, the artists of Baroque art would have been directors of films with spectacular special effects.
When I see an artwork I often imagine that the artist who created it today might be an artist like Damien Hirst or an architect and designer like Zaha Hadid or someone else.

Toward the end of the 16^th century in Italy, a generation of artists who created works which developed a new style, was born: Baroque art.
In the hands of the Church and European kingdoms art became a powerful propaganda and persuasion tool, capable of astonishing, but also of transmitting religious dogmas after the Protestant Reformation.
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