If you’re not very familiar with the Mannerist art movement of the 1500s, I’ll bring you up to speed.
Chronologically, we have ancient and classical art styles ranging from ancient Egyptian frescoes to arches and mosaics of the 4th century Eastern Roman Empire (15,000 BC to ~350 AD). Followed by the medieval art movement (most commonly found in bibles) and the gothic, which can be easily represented through architecture. High pointed arches were a solution to the failings of Romanesque architecture, which gave cathedrals the ability to be built with thinner walls and introduced stained glass.
Then came the Renaissance, which began in Italy in the 14th century. Renaissance, which literally means revival, describes the revival of interest in the artistic achievements of the classical world. This is where you will see many of the famous pieces by Leonardo, Raphael, Sandro Botticelli and Michelangelo. They were vital figures throughout this art movement. Those who produced pieces regarded as embodying the classical notion of perfection. This is the backbone of my analogy between the Renaissance-Mannerism movement and what I like to call, “Modern Mannerism” that is appearing in theaters today.
Perfection. It wasn’t until the Renaissance that artists learned to refine the science of perspective. This linear perspective emerged as a remarkable means of capturing the world around them. (This was also the same time that cartographers were mapping the earth’s surface using a similar system of mathematical projection.) With perspective, coupled with a greater understanding of the human form and how it works and a greater ability to reproduce these elements on a canvas is the essence of the Renaissance.
So here we are, the Renaissance is in full swing, all the problems of representation in art have been resolved (perspective, dimension, the mechanics of the human form, etc…) and artists have begun to wonder where to go from here. here. They really had reached perfection, which makes you wonder where the art would go from there. In the Renaissance, artists took nature and learned from it to achieve their ‘perfection’. In the next art movement that followed, Mannerism, artists took to art to learn.
In Mannerism, figures are deliberately placed by bending and twisting the body with distortions, exaggerations, an elastic elongation of the limbs, strange poses on the one hand, graceful poses on the other. Mannerism used these highly stylized figures, poses, and extremely dramatic subjects. Mannerist artwork looks for instability and restlessness, and commonly has highly sexual undertones.
Let’s see how we got to where we are in cinema today. 1893, Thomas Edison invents the kinetoscope and the video is born. 1920, The Silent Age, Black and White Video. 1926Warner Bros. Introduced the Vitaphone system, which was finally able to add sound to video. Over the next 80 years, technology develops, computers are invented, and the digital age takes effect.
So here we are, the digital age is in full swing, all the video and sound display rendering issues have been resolved, and I’m starting to wonder “where do we go from here?” “What do you do with something that’s already practically perfect?”
I remember seeing a movie a few years ago called Sin City. If you’ve seen this movie, you may already know what I mean. Sin City was co-directed by Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller with “special guest director” Quentin Tarantino, it was released on April 1, 2005. In this movie, I’m sure you’ll remember “That Yellow Bastard” aka Roark Junior , who loses several parts of his body. However, due to rehabilitation treatments, his body is unable to process the waste properly, causing his skin to turn bright yellow and smell like rotten meat. In the unpleasant scenes where you witness this creature, you will notice distortions in his bodies, exaggerations, an elastic lengthening of the limbs. These subjects seem strangely familiar, Mannerism used these highly stylized figures, postures, and extremely dramatic subjects.
However, this “modern mannerism” is not limited to distorted bodies. For example, another Sin City character, Marv, a tough, violent, big-time bully, who has amazing athleticism along with a lot of power. His personal code of honor dictates the payment of debts and a kind of chivalry towards women. He is a classic example of an antihero. He reminds me of Conan, but in a trench coat.
I’m not saying Sin City is the revolutionary mannerist movie of the 21st century, but it’s definitely a big step in that direction.
The Movie 300. An adaptation of Frank Miller’s graphic novel 300, a fictional account of the Battle of Thermopylae in 480 BC. 30 minutes into this movie and you will see the clear mannerist styles in this movie.
Even beyond the similarities between the mannerism and the overall look and feel of this movie, I strongly suggest you go watch this movie or at least experience a trailer or two. If you can’t stand getting your head lopped off from time to time and lots of blood and guts combined with the occasional witty comic relief, then go see this movie anyway! At least for the sheer artistic value of the stunning landscapes, skies, women, nasty creatures, and other CG visuals. So take an hour and fifty-seven minutes out of your day and experience a sampling of today’s cinema moving in a revolutionary direction, towards Modern Mannerism.
Cited sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/300_%28film%29
http://www.movimientosartísticos.co.uk
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sin_city
