Practices' Understanding

In Italy between the year 1520 and 1600, the High Renaissance has declined. Michelangelo and Raphael had made their art so perfect, that people after them felt rather unsettled. The artists tried to find a way out. Some imitated the masters' manner, however, they couldn' t catch their spirit. Some broke the artistic rules by intention, but became strange and abstruse. Their style was called the "Mannerism" . They were criticized to be extremely unnatural and mannered, their work was superficial and without creativity. Nevertheless, the Baroque has got their effect, while the Modernism has found their start in them. Cellini is a good example of his time spirit. He was a vain person, aggressive and subjective. But he has got the best artistry and could make the most magnificent work. From this sculptor, we could see how hard the 16th century artists had tried to make a breakthrough. Whatever, they have created their own manner between the two great art periods, and could hold a position in western art history. However, this style hasn' t caught enough attention. On the base of restoring the historical truth and consulting the research done by our predecessors, this essay aims at giving the Mannerism an apt appraisal. Notice its limitations at that given time as well as its value of being an independent artistic style.