Parmigianino
This artist, who came from Parma, is considered one of the most progressive painters in the first half of the 16th century in Italy. Why? Simply, Parmigianino’s work provides a transition from the Renaissance to Mannerism. “More like an angel than a man” is Giorgio Vasari’s (the Italian art historian and painter) description of Parmigianino in his artists’ lives of 1568, and thus in today's painting the 21-year-old presents himself to the viewer. Artist’s hand (actually his left hand, although it seems to be his right) is distorted but impressively enlarged in the foreground, but he excludes the depiction of his head from the optical effect of the convex mirror. The bare studio in the background, however, is reflected by the barber’s mirror, by this time already old-fashioned, with which the artist was working here. Another ingenious aspect is seen at the extreme right edge of the painting: a gilt frame, itself a part of the artwork that is currently being created on Parmigianino’s easel.
We present today's work thanks to the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
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P.S. Through these magnificent drawings by Parmigianino you will get a glimpse into everyday life in the 16th century Italy. <3