Innovation And Diversity

The mannerism is the most controversial phenomenon in the history of art, the reason of which is that most of definitions and revaluations of the mannerism are arbitrary. The mannerism arts show up variety of characters because they match the society and culture of each era. In the first phase of the mannerism of the 1520 s the concept of art had changed from the traditional humble handicraft to the liberal art, which resulted the shift of the image of artist from the low-down handicrafts-man to the erudite intellect, who had freedom to pursue the innovation and experiment. Pontorm took the shape of mature languages of mannerism, which broke the classical rule and explored the possibility of expression. Parmigianino inherited the merits of masters of the high renaissance which he didn’t stuck to but make the form more elegant and refined. In the second of phase from the 1530 s to the 1560 s the Medici reclaimed sovereignty in Florence and his court culture showed the trend of conservatism and aristocratic. The arts of the mannerism, which showed the characters of secularity and decoration, served for eulogizing the reign and catered to the interest of the aristocratic. In the third phase from the 1570 s to the end of the 16 th century the Counter-Reformer who coincided with the decrees of the Council of Trent criticized the pro-phase mannerism. The theories of mannerism which opposed the rational rules of the Renaissance and advocated the formation of authority show transition from the Renaissance to the Barroco. The paintings of El Greco not only accommodated the request of the Counter-Reformation but also showed the character of the combination of the spirits of the Byzantine and the languages of the Italian Renaissance art.