Evolution of Art: After the High Renaissance

     The High Renaissance ended with the sack of Rome in 1527. A few artistic movements followed this, which still affect art today. The Renaissance was all about looking realistic, artists focused on technique, portraits, correct human anatomy, and while that carried on, after the 1520s that was no longer the main focus.

Tintoretto's The Last Supper

     Mannerism was a big movement, and Baroque followed, finding a way to be similar to the old style, and Mannerism. Mannerism was all about artists creating art in their own “manner” rather than trying to top the greats of the Renaissance. For example, the painter Tintoretto painted eight versions of the last supper. Where Leonardo da Vinci's Last Supper was symmetrical, mostly light, and had a bit of movement throughout the piece with Christ in the center, Tintoretto’s Last Supper was asymmetrical, with lots of bright highlights and deep shadows, and had movement wherever you looked. This was a way to create a more dramatic portrayal of something as simple as everyone sitting at a table. It was a way to evoke emotion rather than portray sentiment.

Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper

     Prestezza is a technique Tintoretto often used; he may have even created the technique. Prestezza is rapid brush strokes used to create a vague suggestion of people or objects far in the distance. It’s not meant to be as realistic or detail oriented as the common renaissance style.

The Opening of the Fifth Seal

     The painter El Greco (1542-1614) also favored mannerism. He took on the style of abstracting placements, using saturated colors, and dramatic shadows and highlights. But El Greco also elongated figures. Art historians still aren't certain if this was intentional or not, but the concept portrays spiritual anguish in paintings like The Opening of the Fifth Seal and John the Baptist.

John the Baptist

     Baroque art is similar to mannerism, but where mannerism uses abstract placement to draw your attention to the point of a painting, and isn’t always realistic, baroque is about making realistic images with plenty of attention to detail while still being dramatic and evocative by using saturated colors and dramatic lighting. The painting The Calling of St. Matthew is an example of baroque art.

The Calling of St. Matthew

     It is only natural that styles like this have evolved and become popular, the more artists there are the more styles evolve. The biggest difference between modern art and these two movements is that today’s art has focused on self-expression while mannerism and baroqueism is a way to find a niche and stick to it. This is a way to create art the common man can find beauty and meaning in, and a way to make an artist noticed among the greats even if you can’t top them.

Alex Artiste Peintre