Myths and Mannerism

Week Five- Late Renaissance Mannerism

The two works from the permanent collection of the Seattle Art Museum fit into the classification of Mannerism in slightly different ways. They both deal with the Classical, mythical subject matter which was popular in the Renaissance and beyond. In Leda and the Swan and Her Children by Vincent Sellaer, ca. 1540, the most obvious consideration is that the time is right, since the Mannerist style started in 1520 (at the death of Raphael)and went on until 1600.  The figures of Leda and the two children on the right intertwine somewhat in their diagonal fashion and Leda and the swan on the left echo each other in the upright “C” shapes made by her arm and his neck. The tree trunk behind these figures also reflects this “C” which creates an uneasy asymmetry between the right and left sides of the work.  The storm clouds behind the figures also create a sense of unease.  Bronzino also uses the upright arm with bent elbow in his Allegory with Venus and Cupid.  Leda shows the exaggerated, long fingers and heavy legs in the style of the time.  The figures of Leda and the child on the lower left crouch and twist in an uncomfortable, unsupported way and Leda, at least, is one of those Mannerist figures that seem too large for the frame of the picture.  The colors of the composition range from muted pastels to clashing red drapery, deep shadow and improbably blue clouds, which is another Mannerist trait.  Even though Leda and her daughter, Helen of Troy, were reputed to be great beauties I get a sense of challenge, particularly from the expression of Leda’s face and the children are impish but not particularly beautiful.  The being which most closely captures perfection is the swan who is Zeus in disguise.  This work has compositional similarities with Allegory with Venus and Cupid but lacks the overt sensuality as the interactions between Leda and her children are much more distant than the nipple pinching and almost kissing in the byplay between Venus and her son Cupid.

Because it was produced in 1619 The Origin of the Cornucopia by Abraham Janssens doesn’t fit the usual time frame of Mannerism which is usually said to have ended in about 1600.  Janssens however, was from Antwerp in Northern Europe and traveled in Italy where he was influenced by the Mannerist artists of several decades before his arrival.  The deep reds, greens and blues with pastel flesh of the figures are a Mannerist color scheme as is the fact that the figures seem too large for their frame.  These river nymphs twist and interact but are placed in slightly more comfortable, stable poses than most Mannerist work.  Gone are the long, stylish fingers although the bodies of the nymphs are elongated, though muscular, more like in the later work of the long-lived Michelangelo’s Last Judgment in the Sistine Chapel.  None of these figures looks away from the task at hand to engage the viewer- instead we’re ignored, which is another trait that shows the Mannerist influence.  Leda in Leda and the Swan and Her Children challenges us with her direct cool stare and the nymphs in The Origin of the Cornucopia  unsettle us a little as we feel like voyeurs watching at them work as they ignore us.