Comparison of Two Historical Art Periods:
The Renaissance, Mannerism, and the dichotomy of Michelangelo
Casey Ian Hill
Western Governor’s University
RIWT1 Task 1

The Renaissance
The period commonly referred to as the Renaissance lasted from the late thirteenth to the early seventeenth century. Renaissance, or rebirth, was a time of great change. The people of all regions were just coming out of the Dark Ages, where religion and oppression were the treatments of the day. The Renaissance brought about great reduction in religious faith. This was largely in part to a more feverous education system. More commoners received higher learning than in previous periods. The Renaissance was a cultural, scientific, and political movement, or change. Politically there were great reforms in diplomacy and forms of rule. Scientifically, with Leonardo da Vinci being at the forefront of scientific innovation, some of the greatest leaps of knowledge occurred during this time. Most of the discoveries are the foundations of technology we take for granted in the present day. However, the greatest gifts of the Renaissance were the artistic and cultural innovations of this period. All you need to mention are the three most recognized artistic names in history: Leonardo da Vinci, Raphael, and Michelangelo. Of the Renaissance, we shall focus solely on the greatest of the period which is known as the High Renaissance. The High Renaissance is commonly accepted as the period from 1498, when Leonardo completed the Last Supper, to the 1527 sack of Rome by Charles V of Spain. The art of this period was famously described by Heinrich Wölfflin in his Principles of Art History. His claim was that by a means of pairs of concepts a person one could distinguish High Renaissance art from the baroque style. In his claim, the art of the high Renaissance was linear, whereas objects and volumes are isolated by the line of the eye. It was Planar, whereas depth orders the picture in strata parallel to the picture plane. It was also closed, whereas each work of art was self-contained or a world unto itself. Each artistic composition of the period consisted of a group of independent parts, whereas each part of the composition retains independence. Finally, High renaissance art is characterized by Wölfflin by stating “for classic [Renaissance] art, all beauty meant exhaustive revelation of the form.” (Principles of Art history: The Problem of Development Style in later Art, Heinrich Wölfflin, 1950) There was clearness to all subjects within the High Renaissance art. Artists such as Leonardo da Vinci refrained from applying the already well known effects of reflections of color upon an object and how that effects the viewers’ perception of beauty. Instead he refrained from using this knowledge in part to preserve the subject clarity.
Sistine Chapel
In 1508, Michelangelo began painting the Sistine Chapel’s ceiling for Pope Julius II. This was the pope’s personal chapel and this was to complete the decoration of the building which began in the 140s. The ceiling is separated by different sized panels and is painted separately. These separate paintings are known as Histories. These Histories are events from the Old Testament in the bible from the act of creation, with God creating the sun and moon (the act of creating light from darkness) up to the Drunkenness of Noah. Around each small panel History are the figures of nude youths known as Ignudi, meaning slaves. Adjacent to the Ignudi are prophets and sibyls and the Ancestors of Christ. Ten Ignudi are used as an expressive symbol of the nude human form. One can see Michelangelo’s ideal of beauty in the form of the nude human body. The concepts of the pagan and Christian ideals blended together are characteristics of neo-Platonism which was at the forefront of Renaissance culture. The series of Histories proceed through the Fall of Man and ending with the Drunkenness of Noah, which portrays man furthest removed from god. (“Sistine Chapel”, 2013) This aligns well with neo-Platonic thoughts or ideals of the time which emphasized that beauty is achieved by reflection of the divine in nature and not the copy of nature completely. The artist exercises his divine power of imagination and perception to bring about true beauty.
Mannerism
Mannerism is a period of art from the later years of the High Renaissance in Italy from 1520 to approximately 1580; however Northern Mannerism art lasted well into the seventeenth century. Mannerism, from the Italian maniera, meaning “style” or “manner”, can indicate a type of style or something in which needs no further qualification. In many ways, it is thought that mannerism is just a natural evolution of the High Renaissance works of art as it was thought that art was at its pinnacle or zenith of perfection. This only left the concepts of Mannerism to take hold. The Renaissance brought about a “rebirth” of classical ideals and rules. Mannerism deliberately ignored the classical rules and Mannerist artists chose to instead base their subjects upon inner vision and not an ideal based on perception of a subject. Sometimes referred as neurotic, Mannerist artists, such as El Greco, wanted to break free from cold passionless art and instead find a new form of expression. It was perceived by many that all that could be achieved was already achieved. There were no more riddles left to be solved. All use of human form in anatomy, light, mannerisms, and expression or gestures were almost perfectly depicted. This left artists such as El Greco pining for another way or a new goal to reach for. Michelangelo also was profoundly affected by the changing times. In his youth, the neo-Platonic ideals held true for him. However, just as with late Renaissance artists, the beauty in real life seemed to be murkier in its depths. Girolamo Savonarola came into power in Florence in 1492. He was a fiery monk and spoke ardently against neo-Platonism. His Theocratic Democracy called for each citizen to live a moral religious life. All art, luxuries, and neo-Platonic thought were questioned. In many ways this harkened back to pre-Renaissance which was referred to as the Dark Ages. Savonarola’s teachings profoundly changed the views of some of the most ardent neo-Platonic artists of the time. (Mannerism and Anti-Mannerism, Walter Friedlander, 1990) As with Michelangelo, artists increasingly were left to look inside themselves for spiritual answers. The world of Florence was awash with neo-Platonic and Savonarolic ideals which directly clashed and contradicted one another.
The Last Judgment Michelangelo began work on the Last Judgment in 1534 and work lasted until 1541. It was painted for Pope Paul III on the wall of the Sistine Chapel, the Last Judgment “is the work of a man shaken out of his secure position, no longer at ease with the world and unable to face it directly”. (Artistic Theory in Italy; Anthony Blunt, 2003) Instead of the perfection of the Sistine Chapel ceiling frescos, you have bloated, lumpish, and ugly bodies. Instead of Heinrich Wölfflin’s principles which were exquisitely portrayed in the Histories, we have non-proportional paintings, devoid of logical space and true perspective.
Christ appears as a stern judge. He judges both the damned and blessed alike. Below Christ the Apostle St Bartholomew is depicted flayed alive holding a human skin of a distorted Michelangelo. (“The Last Judgment (Michelangelo)”, 2013) Being in line with Mannerism, Michelangelo was using religious art as a vehicle of self-expression. Michelangelo was asserting his conscience, which Martin Luther, Protestant Reformist, wrote of in his Ninety-Five Theses. This, as Luther created a widening split in the church, created a widening split within Michelangelo’s belief structure.

''The marble not yet carved can hold the form of every thought the greatest artist has.'' -- Michelangelo Buonarroti

References
H. Wölfflin (1950). Principles of Art history: The Problem of Development Style in later Art. New York: Dover Publications
A. Blunt (2003). Artistic Theory in Italy. Oxford: Oxford University Press
L. Goldscheider (1996). Michelangelo. New York: Phaidon Press
W. Friedlander (1990). Mannerism and Anti-Mannerism. New York: Columbia University Press
(2013). Sistine Chapel. Retrieved July 5, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sistine_Chapel
(2013). the Last Judgment. Retrieved July 9, 2013 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Judgment_(Michelangelo)