Strange Beauty: The Intersection between Mannerism and High Fashion
As an artist with an interest in both the mannerist art movement, and fashion, I couldn’t help but notice similarities between the two. While taking art history courses in college, Mannerism works of art always drew my attention. In fact, Pontormo, a well known Mannerist painter, became one of my favorite artists and has inspired many of my paintings. Around the same time period, I also started to develop an interest in high fashion, especially after moving to New York. I’ve always loved clothes and using my appearance to express myself, but after coming to the city and seeing models around during fashion week and walking by designer clothing stores, my passion continued to grow.
One thing both fashion and art have in common, is that they often follow trends and reflect the changing interests of the consumer/viewer. I believe that the trends of both have followed a similar pattern of change over time.
To explore the relation of these two topics, first we should dive into Mannerism and what distinguishes it from other movements.
Madonna with the Long Neck, oil on wood by Parmigianino, c. 1534–40
According to Britannica, Mannerism originated in Florence and Rome and later spread throughout Europe in the 16th century. This artistic style flourished in Italy from the end of the High Renaissance to the beginning of the Baroque period, and is considered a reaction to the idealized naturalism that dominated the Renaissance. Mannerism is characterized by elongation of the figure, exaggeration of facial expressions, poses, and colors, and less emphasis on spatial relationships. The goal of mannerism was to express emotions, rather than create idealized scenes and figures.
Detail of Pontormo's Deposition (1525‒28) at the Church of Santa Felicita, Florence
What I find most interesting about Mannerism, is the way artists working in this style favored self-expressionism rather than perfection. Their goal was not to create a realistic painting, but to capture emotion and create images with a graceful quality that transcends reality.
You may now find yourself asking, “how does this relate to fashion?” which is a fair question.
First, we should look at some examples of what is considered “high fashion.”
According to The Costume Institute at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, high fashion, or couture, “represents the fusion of fashion—the modern entity that combines novelty and synergy with personal and social needs—and costume—the arts of dressmaking, tailoring, and crafts constituent to apparel and accessories.” Many also associate the idea of high fashion with runway shows or editorial fashion found in magazines.
A look from the Iris Van Herpen couture show in Paris in July 2019.
It seems that a major shift in the public’s reception to conventional beauty in regards to fashion, occurred after WWII with the emergence of Avant-garde fashion that sought to subvert the previously established beauty ideals. This change was noticeable, not only in the clothing that was worn, but in the models as well. High fashion designers began to favor models with more unconventional looks rather than the classically beautiful appearance that was previously favored.
Model Kelly Mittendorf
In recent years, the fashion industry has continued to embrace models with unique features, breaking away from classical beauty ideals of the past. Super model Molly Bair is a great example of this phenomenon, with her elongated 6 ft. frame and wide set eyes, she stands out and has a very modern look that is both captivating and beautiful.
Model Molly Bair by Daniel Sannwald
What I find most visually striking about mannerism and high fashion, is the focus on elongating the human form. The average height for high fashion models has gotten taller and taller over the years, and this type of elongation is even more prevalent in mannerist paintings, where the artists were not constrained by the necessity of finding real people to meet their preferred height standards. Female fashion models are usually at least 5’9” and male models are between 6’ and 6’5”. The ideal figure in a mannerist painting, whether male or female, was about 9 and a half heads tall, which is around 7’l–certainly a departure from the naturalism of the renaissance.
Pontormo’s Carmignano Visitation, oil on panel painting, c.1528-1530
So overall, what do mannerism and high fashion have in common? Both forms of art concern beauty and the human form and represent a movement past idealism to explore something further. Both fashion and Mannerism experienced a shift away from traditional beauty, moving toward a focus on expressionism and imagination, rather than staying rooted in reality.