La Bella Maniera, 16th Century Futuristic, And Wines of Romagna.

Art history is a funny discipline, full of its own little quirks of personality. One of those is the habit of labeling previous types of painting in ways that often put them into less than glorious light. My favorite example is how the absolutely beautiful and often quite sophisticated art of the Middle Ages became known as Gothic, a name that implied the barbarism of invading hoards of murderous tribal people from the steppes of central Asia. Another habit known to art history is the artificially well-defined lines between one age and another, with dates given on either side: High Renaissance, 1420-1520. Of course, 1520 marked the death of Raphael, who according to Vasari was the pinnacle of achievement. What came immediately after that was a downhill slide called in later years Mannerism, a hard term to understand as it implied a formulaic painting style too governed by rules that limited its expression. Though this period was also part of the Renaissance, it is rather cast aside as some strange intermediary period before one came to “good art” again in the Baroque. Au contrare mes chères amies. Yes, I said it! Here’s why.

The dates of this work, a part of the totality called Fall of the Titans, was completed somewhere between 1526 and 1535, almost 500 years ago. Yet, the way the figure is handled with a certain looseness in the definition of the stones, a rather symbolic treatment of the hair, and the comical expressiveness of the face are a long way from Leonardo or Raphael, both of whom died just a few years before this was created. The caricature-like treatment of the face of this titan is more akin to what one might see in a modern graphic novel or an animated film. There is none of the realistic detail of a face of a soldier in battle done by Leonardo da Vinci. The images have been simplified. The expression is almost comedic, or at the very least entertaining. The totality of it is quite different from what was the norm just a short while before.

The da Vinci above shows a very realistic representation of a soldier in battle. The drama is there; the seriousness of the moment of conflict is clear. The figure has a realism to it that the titan in Romano’s work does not have.

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In answer to the questions posed above, I would say that it is at least all three. The 16th century was a time of great instability. The various kings, princes, and dukes all lived on the knife’s edge, sometimes literally. In 1527, the troops of the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V of Spain, mutinied over unpaid wages and sacked the city of Rome! Some 45,000 people were severly effected, with those who were not dead or wounded, having to flee into exile. Romano who finished Raphael’s work, left Rome in 1524 (some indicate 1527) after having gotten into trouble for some illustrations that the Church considered pornographic. He had been persuaded to go to Mantua, the home of Federico II Gonzaga, of the family that ruled Mantua at the time, to create the interiors of Gonzaga’s pleasure palace, the Palazzo Te or Tea Palace. With troubles in Rome, and work elsewhere, it was indeed a good time to leave.

In this confluence of events, one can see a number of elements at play. The artist was seeking a different kind of expression (those images the Church disapproved of?); the times were indeed unstable and dangerous (Rome was sacked not long after he left); and his new patron, Gonzaga, was after something different to add to the entertainments held at the Palazzo Te, which in those times was discreetly outside of Mantua. So the art changed to meet the new situation and took a leap forward to something that looks oddly modern to us.

You may have noticed that the colors of the clothes of one of the Giants is rather pastel as are the rocks that surround him. The use of pastel colors became prevalent in the Bella Maniera period. The misconception that has come with the name Mannerist for that period of time (applied by art historians from a later date) has led thinking away from the idea of any originality. With that have come some surprises, like the colors that appeared under the grime of the Sistine Chapel (1554). The dull colors that made the images hard to see, once cleaned, showed the use of many soft pastel colors, which in fact was a hallmark of La Bella Maniera. To get a good sense of what they looked like before and with a click of the mouse to see what they looked like once cleaned and well-lighted, look at “Restoration of the Sistine Chapel: Before and After” by David Calhoun davidbcalhoun.com

This playing with the forms and the colors and taking them far away from what the High Renaissance had formulated could be seen as a part of Baldassare Castiglione’s idea of sprezzatura, representing ease and elegance in everything. Portormo’s figures almost seem more decorative rather than highly religious. That penchant for the unrealistically elongated, gracefully flowing figures can be seen in the stucco work inside of Fontainebleau Palace in France. It was with Francis I of France that the Renaissance entered France. Yes, Leonardo da Vinci spent his last years there, but La Bella Maniera followed.

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In the figures above (all from Fontainebleau), one can see the elongated arms and legs and relatively small heads of the figures. This move into the format of the Bella Maniera came because of the influence of King Francis I, who after his return from being defeated at the Battle of Pavia (1526) and spending a year in captivity in Spain, decided that everything must change, and change it did. Artists like Primaticcio were brought in from Italy, bringing their 16th century Renaissance sense of elegance and beauty (bella maniera literally), and stories that were more focused on classical myths and legends than they were on the biblical. amisdechateaufontainebleau.org.

The changes to art fostered in the 16th century affected architecture as well. There in Mantua on a municipal court building are two female cariatides that drape themselves down the building façade very much like Belle Epoch figures. Yet, they were done by Romano during his long stay in Mantua. Most outstanding would be the Park of Monsters, also known as The Monsters of Bomarzo. Prince Pier Francesco Orsini (old Roman aristocracy) suffered from war, captivity, and the death of his beloved wife, which one might say soured him on life. Wanting to express the darker side of human existence, the prince hired a celebrated architect who had worked on Saint Peter’s Cathedral to come to create the prince’s vision of horror. Not unlike Romano who had gone off to Mantua to create these enormous, fantastical figures for Federico II Gonzaga, so Pirro Ligorio went to fulfill his patron’s wishes. You see the results below

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While this work is done with the intention of being horrific, these are still from the 1500s, which is one of the reasons I posit that Bella Maniera was quite futuristic. Certainly it is art that moved well beyond the normal look of the day, which may have been the reason it was so dismissed by later art historians. The Catholic Church did not like this veering into myth, legend, and the imagination, so launched as part of its Counter-Reformation initiatives, an art that was more “understandable” and which dealt with religion once again. Thus was born the Baroque Period and the famous Carracci family from Bologna were among the first to produce that art that left behind these harder to understand concepts and brought the art down to an earthly realism once again. (See the article on Annibale Carracci from Octobet 25, 2021). What I see, as an artist and art lover, is that when artists are free to express, they can go far ahead of where the regular population is. For those who are interested in these possibilities, I suggest reading Dr. Leonard Shlain’s book Art and Physics, which may give one a different perspective on Abstract Expressionism.

Works used for this article are in the links above. My personal art history notes from my study of La Bella Maniera in 16th century art under the guidance of Mme. Chantal Duqueroux in Avignon, and from our class visit to Mantua are also used.

All art works are in public domain. Photo credits are given in the links to the websites of origin.

Marjorie Vernelle is an artist, writer, college professor, and traveler. For more see the Pages at ofartandwine.com or her author page at amazon.com and her art at Vernelle Art Boutique vernellestudio.com.

The Wines of Romagna

The region of Emilia-Romagna in Italy is in and around the city of Bologna, home of one of Europe’s oldest universities and as mentioned above, home of the celebrated Carracci family of painters from the Baroque era. It is said to be a land that produces wines and foods that are hearty and down-to-earth like the rugged, plain-spoken inhabitants of that area. Here are few to consider.

LAMBRUSCO

Lambrusco is one of the favorite wines of the Romagna area. Lambrusco grapes were used for winemaking long before bubbly was discovered. Their cultivation goes back to the time of the Etruscans and the Romans. The grapes come in a wide variety: salamina, maestri, marani, montericco, and sobara. Most are grown right there in Emilia-Romagna but in some cases vintners will get some of them from Mantua, which is actually in Lombardy. The making of the frizzante, the sparkling wine, is done with the same method used for producing prosecco, which involves a second fermentation in a pressurized tank. The flavors are of berries and citrus, and the colors range from red to rose pink. For those who like red wine all year long, Lambrusco is a good way to have some red sparkle in the summer time.

MALVASIA

While the malvasia grape grows all over the Mediterranean, it came to Emilia-Romagna as the result of the Venetians losing a trade route to Crete because of the Turks. The solution was to go relatively nearby to Emilia-Romagna and grow the grapes there. Malvasia grapes produce a white wine that also comes in a frizzante. Its light taste is perfect for a summer’s day at the beach or for lightly fried snacks. I can imagine it as a nice companion for a plate of fried calamari. It comes in both dry and sweet varieties and the most celebrated kind is Malvasia de Candia, which is a reference to its original home in Crete.

PIGNOLETTO

Cultivated in the hills near Bologna, at an altitude of 150-600 meters (600-1900 feet), the Grechetto Gentile grape is the source of Pignoletto, a favorite in the restaurants of Bologna, as it comes in sparkling, dry, and sweet varieties. The name refers to pine cones, as the grapes cluster in small tight units in the general shape of a pine cone. Most of the production centers around the Apennine town of Pignoletto, hence the name. The tank method is used to make the sparkling version of this wine, which is positioning itself to rival Prosecco, though that competition has been compared to David in combat with Goliath. But David won that battle, didn’t he? Guess we will have to wait and see.

TREBBIANO

Needless to say, Emilia-Romagna is a rich area not only in wines but also in art and art influences. So the next time you have a chance to try one of these wines, think of Bologna, the Carracci family of painters, and of that odd and beautiful period that came just before them – La Bella Maniera.

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©marjorie vernelle 2021

Coming Soon: Thanksgiving!

As the next post would be the 25th, Thanksgiving, I wish you all a Happy Holiday now. In the meantime, I shall be researching the Art of the Table to provide a little history on how it is that we have arrived at the making of glorious artful table decor, and of course, there will be suggestions for good wines for the rest of holidays.