Around 1520 -1580 · Pontormo, Rosso, Bronzino and Medici court

Florentine mannerism disrupted the balance of the High Renaissance: acidic colors, suspended poses and court elegance made difficulty a new beauty.

In Florence, mannerism was born around 1520 in the immediate shadow of Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael and Andrea del Sarto. Pontormo and Rosso Fiorentino, both trained at Andrea, nevertheless refuse to repeat the classical balance. Pontormo rarefies the space, lengthens the figures and circulates almost immaterial roses, blues and greens. In the Deposition of the Capponi Chapel, the bodies do not rest on any stable ground and seem to carry Christ in a silent movement. Rosso produces a more angular tension: looks, anatomy and gestures can become abrupt, notably in Moses defending Jethro's daughters. Bronzino, a student and close friend of Pontormo, transforms this language in court style under Cosimo I de' Medici. His portraits combine smooth skin, prodigious fabrics, refined hands and psychological reserve. Michelangelo provides this entire generation with a reserve of complex anatomies and shortcuts, while Vasari then organizes the memory of the "maniera". Florentine mannerism therefore does not mark a decline: he consciously explores artifice, quotation and sophistication after an ideal deemed insurmountable. The "Florentine mannerism" selection therefore does not mark a decline: he consciously explores artifice, quotation and sophistication after an ideal deemed insurmountable. The "Florentine mannerism" selection notably compares The Deposition from the Cross and Portrait of Laura Battiferri. His reading favors light.

In Florence, difficulty becomes visual pleasure: impossible pose, unexpected color and precious detail prove that art can compete with nature.