Mannerist

Mannerist

Mannerist is a 16th-century artistic style marked by artificiality, elegance, and a sensuously distorted portrayal of the human figure.

Mannerism, spanning from around 1520 to 1600, refers to the artistic style of followers of Raphael and Michelangelo. While influenced by the Renaissance masters, Mannerist artists, instead of adhering to the harmonious ideals of Raphael and Michelangelo, embraced highly artificial compositions. Their works showcased advanced techniques and skill in manipulating compositional elements to evoke a sense of sophisticated elegance.

This style extended across Europe, influencing the elegant artificiality seen in Elizabethan court painting in Britain. Furthermore, Mannerism left a lasting impact on subsequent artists, including Henry Fuseli.


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    Parra's studio, with Parra at the centre, his back to the camera as he works on the large painting takes centre stage, showing a faceless blue woman in a striped dress, painted in red, purple, blue and teal. The studio is full of brightly coloured paints, with a large window on the right and a patterned rug across the floor under the painting.