Mannerism of Italy in APA

Mannerism of Italy

In APA Format

Renaissance was a revolutionary period which saw tremendous changes take place in Europe. Renaissance is a French word which means rebirth; many a thing changed during the period of renaissance for instance the Political changes in Europe, social changes which took place during that time etc. This paper will throw light upon the changes which have taken place post renaissance period. The mannerism of Italy and in particular Florence will be presented in the paper. The mannerism will be then be compared with the art of North, particularly Germany and the Netherlands.

Mannerism of Italy

The term Mannerism derives from the Italian word maniera, meaning "style" or "way of working." Writers of the 16th century praised works for having maniera -- a way of saying they were stylish. But critics also used the term in a negative sense, for works in which the artist seemed to rely too much on imagination or on conventions established by other artists, rather than on observation of nature. Until the early 20th century such negative associations led scholars to think of Mannerism as a decadent style, a decline from what they considered to be the perfection of the Renaissance." (Mannerism, 1 January 2009)

Florence was one of the most exciting places in Europe, located in Italy the city had a population of roughly about 60,000 people in the fifteenth century. The most noticeable aspect of Florence was that it was a self-governed and most importantly an independent city.

The city grew with leaps and bounds because of its strong economic background to match this, the city also boasted of a strong political philosophy, these factors contributed in the immense success of Florence during the period of the Renaissance. The economy of Florence was centered on the manufacturing of goods or trade of cloth so inevitably meant that the most powerful people in the city had to be the people who represented the textile workers. Workers in Florence were experts when it came to transforming wool into cloth of an excellent quality; they wee well acquainted with the ways to do the same. The process was a quite complicated one which involved dying of wool, cleaning the wool and a host of other processes.

The Palazzo Vecchio, constructed in 1299, was the home of the Florentine guilds. Then, as well as today, it functioned as the seat of municipal government and the heart of Florentine culture. It was here that the city's 5,000 guild members, who had the power of the vote, gathered to discuss and determine city issues. In addition to textile workers and bankers, the guild members included masons and builders, sculptors, lawyers, and solicitors." (Renaissance, 1 January 2009)