Parmigianino
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| '''Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola''' ([[11 January]] [[1503]] - [[24 August]] [[1540]]), also known as '''Francesco Mazzola''' or more commonly as '''Parmigianino''' (a nickname meaning "the little one from Parma") or sometimes "Parmigiano", was a prominent [[Italy|Italian]] [[Mannerism|Mannerist]] [[Painting|painter]] and [[printmaker]] active in [[Florence]], [[Rome]], [[Bologna]], and his native city of [[Parma]]. His work is characterized by elongation of form and includes ''Vision of Saint Jerome'' (1527) and the ''[[Madonna with the Long Neck]]'' (1534). He is also the author of ''[[A Witch Riding on a Phallus]]''. | '''Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola''' ([[11 January]] [[1503]] - [[24 August]] [[1540]]), also known as '''Francesco Mazzola''' or more commonly as '''Parmigianino''' (a nickname meaning "the little one from Parma") or sometimes "Parmigiano", was a prominent [[Italy|Italian]] [[Mannerism|Mannerist]] [[Painting|painter]] and [[printmaker]] active in [[Florence]], [[Rome]], [[Bologna]], and his native city of [[Parma]]. His work is characterized by elongation of form and includes ''Vision of Saint Jerome'' (1527) and the ''[[Madonna with the Long Neck]]'' (1534). He is also the author of ''[[A Witch Riding on a Phallus]]''. | ||
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| + | ==Early years== | ||
| + | Parmigianino was the eighth child of Filippo Mazzola, a painter also known as Filippo dell' Erbette, and Maria di ser Guglielmo. His father died of the plague two years after Parmigianino's birth, and the children were raised by their uncles, Michele and Pier Ilario, who according to [[Giorgio Vasari|Vasari]] were modestly talented artists. In 1515, his uncle received a commission from Nicolo Zangrandi for the decoration of a chapel in [[San Giovanni Evangelista in Parma|San Giovanni Evangelista]]; a work later completed by a young Parmigianino. By the age of eighteen, he had already completed a ''Marriage of Catherine'' [[altarpiece]] for Santa Maria at [[Bardi]]. In 1521, Parmigianino was sent to [[Viadana (MN)|Viadana]] (along with painter [[Girolamo Bedoli]] who was to marry his cousin) to escape the wars between the French, Imperial, and papal armies. In Viadana, he painted two panels in [[tempera]], depicting [[Francis of Assisi|Saint Francis]] for the church of the Frati de' Zoccoli, and the ''Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine'' for San Pietro. He also worked in [[San Giovanni]] and met [[Correggio]], who was at work on the [[fresco]] decorations of the [[cupola]]. | ||
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| + | ==Work in Fontanellato and travel to Rome== | ||
| + | <!--he met [[Girolamo Mazzola Bedoli]], a fellow apprentice in the shop of Parmigianino's uncles, and who had married Parmigianino's cousin.--> | ||
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| + | In 1524, he traveled to Rome with five small paintings, including the ''Circumcision of Christ'' and his ''Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror'', seeking patronage of the [[Medici]] pope, [[Clement VII]]. Vasari records that in Rome, Parmigianino was "celebrated as a [[Raphael]] reborn". In January 1526, Parmigianino and his uncle, [[Pier Ilario]], agreed with Maria Bufalina from Citta di Castello, to decorate the church of San Salvatore in [[Lauro]] with an altarpiece of the ''Vision of Saint Jerome'' (1526-27, National Gallery, London). Within a year, the [[Sack of Rome (1527)|Sack of Rome]] caused Parmigianino, and many other artists, to flee. | ||
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| + | ==Return to Bologna and Parma== | ||
| + | He resided in [[Bologna]] for nearly three years. In 1528-29, he painted a ''Madonna with Saint Margaret and Saints'' (Pinacoteca, Bologna). In 1528, he painted ''[[Madonna of the Rosa]]'' (Dresden) and ''Madonna with Saint Zachariah'' (Uffizi). By 1530 Parmigianino had returned to Parma. | ||
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| + | In 1531, Parmigianino received a commission for two altarpieces, depicting [[Saint Joseph]] and [[Saint John the Baptist]], from the unfinished church of [[Santa Maria della Steccata]]. The brotherhood overseeing the church advanced him salary and promised him the supplies and materials; however, by 1535, the project was unfinished. In December, he nominated Don Nicola Cassola, a Parman cleric at the Roman [[Curia]], to act as his legal representative. Parmigianino authorized him to collect the 50 gold ''scudi'' from Bonifazio Gozzadini for the ''Madonna with St. John the Baptist and St. Zacharias''. | ||
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| + | In 1534, it was decided that the ''Madonna dal Collo Lungo'' (the ''Madonna with the Long Neck'') would hang in the chapel of the family of Elena Baiardi. | ||
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| + | Parmigianino had probably expected to succeed Correggio in the favour of the church. However, in April 1538, the administrative offices commissioned initially [[Giorgio Gandini del Grano]], then [[Girolamo Bedoli]], to decorate the [[apse]] and [[Choir (architecture)|choir]] of the [[duomo]]. | ||
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| + | It is believed that at this time, he became a devotee of [[alchemy]]. Vasari hypothesizes that this was due to his fascination with [[Magic (paranormal)|magic]]. Scholars now agree that Parmigianino's scientific interests may have been due to his obsession with trying to find a new medium for his etchings.{{Fact|date=March 2008}} As a result of his alchemical researches, he completed little work in the church. He was imprisoned for two months for breach of contract after the Confraternita decided unanimously to ban him from continuing in their church. He was replaced between 1539 and 1540 by [[Giulio Romano]], who also promptly withdrew from the contract. | ||
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| + | Parmigianino died in [[Casalmaggiore]] on the [[24 August]] [[1540]] at the age of 37 years. He is buried in the church of the Frati de' Servi "naked with a cross made of cypress wood on his chest". | ||
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| + | ==Works== | ||
| + | <!-- | ||
| + | Early studies such as Female Heads, a Griffin, and Finials, when Parmigianino was around nineteen, reveal an innately talented draftsman composing a sequence of gracefully superimposed images. Parmigianino designed the hauntingly beautiful woman’s face for the stucco medusas that supported his first independent commission, a ceiling fresco in the castle of Fontanellato outside Parma. The finials, which crown the medusa like a diadem, are quick pen notations for the room’s corner decorations. The medusa’s dual rendering in full face and profile invokes Leonardo da Vinci’s recommended method for drawing sculpture, while the use of red chalk evinces a precocious mastery of the medium introduced by Leonardo and preferred by Parmigianino’s mentor, Correggio. | ||
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| + | As he was to do in so many of his Roman works, Parmigianino united the achievements of central and northern Italian art, attempting to rival, in small scale, the innovative nocturnes of both Raphael and Correggio.The picture’s pen and ink composition drawing, fluidly brushed with brown washes and highlighted in white, demonstrates how Parmigianino habitually pursued his graphic explorations even up to the moment of painting. | ||
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| + | Parmigianino was also an early Italian [[etching|etcher]], a technique that was pioneered in Italy by [[Marcantonio Raimondi]], but which appealed to draughtsmen: though the techniques of printing the copper plates require special skills, the ease with which acid, when substituted for ink, can reproduce the spontaneity of an artist's hand attracted Parmigianino, a "master of elegant figure drawing". Parmigianino also designed [[chiaroscuro]] [[woodcut]]s, and although his output was small he had a considerable influence on [[Italian printmaking]]. Some of his prints were done in collaboration with [[Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio]]. | ||
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| + | ===List of works=== | ||
| + | *''[[Madonna with the Long Neck]]'' (1534-40, Oil on wood, 216 x 132 cm, [[Uffizi]], [[Florence]]) | ||
| + | *''Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror'', c.1524; Oil on wood, diameter 24.4 cm; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna | ||
| + | *''Vision of Saint Jerome'' (National Gallery, London) | ||
| + | *''Cupid'' (c.1523-24; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna[http://www.wga.hu/html/p/parmigia/cupid.html]) | ||
| + | *''Madonna and Child'' (1525, Galleria Doria-Pamphili, Rome[http://www.wga.hu/html/p/parmigia/madchild.html]) | ||
| + | *''Portrait of a Man with a Book'' (Attributed, York City Art Gallery) | ||
| + | *''The Circumcision'' (Detroit Institute of Arts) | ||
| + | *''Portrait of a Young Woman'' (Antea) ([[Museo di Capodimonte|Capodimonte Museum]], Naples) | ||
| + | *''Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist'' (Capodimonte) | ||
| + | *''The Conversion of Saint Paul'' (Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna) | ||
| + | *''Saint Roch and Donor'' (Gamba Chapel San Petronio Bologna) | ||
| + | *''Allegorical Portrait of Charles V'' (New York) | ||
| + | *''The Annunciation'' (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York)) | ||
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| + | ==See also== | ||
| + | *[[Mannerism]] | ||
| + | *[[Parmesan]] | ||
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Girolamo Francesco Maria Mazzola (11 January 1503 - 24 August 1540), also known as Francesco Mazzola or more commonly as Parmigianino (a nickname meaning "the little one from Parma") or sometimes "Parmigiano", was a prominent Italian Mannerist painter and printmaker active in Florence, Rome, Bologna, and his native city of Parma. His work is characterized by elongation of form and includes Vision of Saint Jerome (1527) and the Madonna with the Long Neck (1534). He is also the author of A Witch Riding on a Phallus.
Contents |
Early years
Parmigianino was the eighth child of Filippo Mazzola, a painter also known as Filippo dell' Erbette, and Maria di ser Guglielmo. His father died of the plague two years after Parmigianino's birth, and the children were raised by their uncles, Michele and Pier Ilario, who according to Vasari were modestly talented artists. In 1515, his uncle received a commission from Nicolo Zangrandi for the decoration of a chapel in San Giovanni Evangelista; a work later completed by a young Parmigianino. By the age of eighteen, he had already completed a Marriage of Catherine altarpiece for Santa Maria at Bardi. In 1521, Parmigianino was sent to Viadana (along with painter Girolamo Bedoli who was to marry his cousin) to escape the wars between the French, Imperial, and papal armies. In Viadana, he painted two panels in tempera, depicting Saint Francis for the church of the Frati de' Zoccoli, and the Mystical Marriage of Saint Catherine for San Pietro. He also worked in San Giovanni and met Correggio, who was at work on the fresco decorations of the cupola.
Work in Fontanellato and travel to Rome
In 1524, he traveled to Rome with five small paintings, including the Circumcision of Christ and his Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror, seeking patronage of the Medici pope, Clement VII. Vasari records that in Rome, Parmigianino was "celebrated as a Raphael reborn". In January 1526, Parmigianino and his uncle, Pier Ilario, agreed with Maria Bufalina from Citta di Castello, to decorate the church of San Salvatore in Lauro with an altarpiece of the Vision of Saint Jerome (1526-27, National Gallery, London). Within a year, the Sack of Rome caused Parmigianino, and many other artists, to flee.
Return to Bologna and Parma
He resided in Bologna for nearly three years. In 1528-29, he painted a Madonna with Saint Margaret and Saints (Pinacoteca, Bologna). In 1528, he painted Madonna of the Rosa (Dresden) and Madonna with Saint Zachariah (Uffizi). By 1530 Parmigianino had returned to Parma.
In 1531, Parmigianino received a commission for two altarpieces, depicting Saint Joseph and Saint John the Baptist, from the unfinished church of Santa Maria della Steccata. The brotherhood overseeing the church advanced him salary and promised him the supplies and materials; however, by 1535, the project was unfinished. In December, he nominated Don Nicola Cassola, a Parman cleric at the Roman Curia, to act as his legal representative. Parmigianino authorized him to collect the 50 gold scudi from Bonifazio Gozzadini for the Madonna with St. John the Baptist and St. Zacharias.
In 1534, it was decided that the Madonna dal Collo Lungo (the Madonna with the Long Neck) would hang in the chapel of the family of Elena Baiardi.
Parmigianino had probably expected to succeed Correggio in the favour of the church. However, in April 1538, the administrative offices commissioned initially Giorgio Gandini del Grano, then Girolamo Bedoli, to decorate the apse and choir of the duomo.
It is believed that at this time, he became a devotee of alchemy. Vasari hypothesizes that this was due to his fascination with magic. Scholars now agree that Parmigianino's scientific interests may have been due to his obsession with trying to find a new medium for his etchings.Template:Fact As a result of his alchemical researches, he completed little work in the church. He was imprisoned for two months for breach of contract after the Confraternita decided unanimously to ban him from continuing in their church. He was replaced between 1539 and 1540 by Giulio Romano, who also promptly withdrew from the contract.
Parmigianino died in Casalmaggiore on the 24 August 1540 at the age of 37 years. He is buried in the church of the Frati de' Servi "naked with a cross made of cypress wood on his chest".
Works
Parmigianino was also an early Italian etcher, a technique that was pioneered in Italy by Marcantonio Raimondi, but which appealed to draughtsmen: though the techniques of printing the copper plates require special skills, the ease with which acid, when substituted for ink, can reproduce the spontaneity of an artist's hand attracted Parmigianino, a "master of elegant figure drawing". Parmigianino also designed chiaroscuro woodcuts, and although his output was small he had a considerable influence on Italian printmaking. Some of his prints were done in collaboration with Giovanni Jacopo Caraglio.
List of works
- Madonna with the Long Neck (1534-40, Oil on wood, 216 x 132 cm, Uffizi, Florence)
- Self-portrait in a Convex Mirror, c.1524; Oil on wood, diameter 24.4 cm; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna
- Vision of Saint Jerome (National Gallery, London)
- Cupid (c.1523-24; Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna[1])
- Madonna and Child (1525, Galleria Doria-Pamphili, Rome[2])
- Portrait of a Man with a Book (Attributed, York City Art Gallery)
- The Circumcision (Detroit Institute of Arts)
- Portrait of a Young Woman (Antea) (Capodimonte Museum, Naples)
- Holy Family with the Infant Saint John the Baptist (Capodimonte)
- The Conversion of Saint Paul (Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna)
- Saint Roch and Donor (Gamba Chapel San Petronio Bologna)
- Allegorical Portrait of Charles V (New York)
- The Annunciation (The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York))
See also
