High Renaissance and Mannerism

Antonio Da Correggio

Antonio Da Correggio (1489-1534) was an Italian artist during the high Renaissance period. The Renaissance was renowned for its scientific perspective, anatomy, and classical architecture, as can be seen in Correggio’s work. His work also displays his mastery of light and the way he uses it to create balance.

In the painting, “The Holy Night,” he achieves balance by using the bright light radiating from the virgin and her child despite the left side of the composition being very figure-heavy. His figures have beautiful fleshy tones of the skin and have a sfumato or chiaroscuro technique that reminds me of Leonardo Da Vinci’s work.

“The Assumption of the Virgin” is a famous fresco on the dome of the Cathedral of Parma, Italy. It was famous for creating the illusion that one was looking into heaven.

Andrea Mantegna, the early Renaissance artist, was believed to have influenced his work. Other than Mantegna, Michelangelo and Raphael’s frescos also seemed to have inspired Correggio.

Correggio was given many commissions during his lifetime that makes me believe he was well-reputed and a sought after artist. I find his work unique and different compared to the other artists of his time. His artwork also shows movement into the Baroque period because of the illusions he used to create.

REFERENCES

The Story of Art, Gombrich (Chapter 16) https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.29158/page/n207/mode/2up

https://brill.com/view/book/9789004338043/B9789004338043_009.xml

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Correggio-Italian-artist

https://www.virtualuffizi.com/correggio.html

https://www.wikiart.org/en/correggio/the-assumption-of-the-virgin-1530