Michelangelo and Mannerism

Michelangelo Buonarroti has come to be known as the greatest artist of his time, and one of the all time greats for sure. Albeit unlike other artists of his time he was recognized for his greatness while he was alive. He was also torn between his patronage, of the Medici family in Florence, and the Catholic church in Rome. He was born in 1475 and died in 1564 a ripe age of 88 or 89 years old. Michelangelo is also attributed with development in Mannerism. Mannerism emerged in 1520, about 40 years before Michelangelo’s death. Mannerism is a rich period of European art that was later replaced by Baroque period. Mannerism is basically taking a turn after the High Renaissance from the sweet angelic ideals to a more basic, tense, unstable perspective and is often credited with the growth of intellectual sophistication. By the end of the High Renaissance some of the younger artists felt that everything difficult to be done to prove yourself in the art world had already been done, thus the development of a new style, Mannerism. The Last Judgment, or better known as the Sistine Chapel, shows strong tendencies of the Mannerist Period. The exaggerated muscles on the naked bodies is a strong example. Also the way the bodies are positioned in such pained poses also points towards the Mannerist style. The overly ornate and intricate style of painting and the over the top color scheme and overall grandeur of the fresco also points towards the Mannerist period. Another piece of art that exemplifies the Mannerist period by Michelangelo is his sculpture of David. Although its a sculpture he is trying to show the human soul personified by the ornate and obscure structure of the human body and musculature. He is showing you a man in a seemingly natural position. But in reality this pose would be hard to hold over a period of time. And if a closer look is taken it can be seen that the musculature of this sculpture is not exactly anatomically correct. With Mannerism developing