From Titian to El Greco to Anguissola to Gentileschi, hands (mano) command special attention in Mannerist art. Describing specific examples, explain what the artists were doing by calling attention to their subjects’ hands

Question

Please provide the best answer for the statement.

Answer 1

1. The ideal response should include the following:
Mannerist art is characterized by the virtuoso of the artist’s hand and can be exhibited through the stylistic brushwork seen in the work of Titian, El Greco, Anguissola, or Gentileschi.
2. In Titian’s Rape of Europa the porcelain-like quality of the subject matter’s skin and the brushwork mirror the sensuality of the image, holding true to the idea of the hand or mano of the artist.
3. In El Greco’s Resurrection the virtuosity represented is one of the spiritual mysteries of the Christian faith illustrated through the elongated and serpentine-like figures. El Greco uses the inventive nature of Mannerist art with Counter-Reformation doctrine to create his subject matter.
4. In Anguissola’s Bernardino Campi Painting Sofonisba Anguissola, her teacher is seen painting a portrait of the student. The painting embodies the spirit of inventiveness and sensuality in comparison with the placement of the artist’s hand in the painting working on the portrait.
5. Gentileschi illustrates her inventiveness as artist and genius in La Pittura (Self-Portrait as the Allegory of Painting). She captures the moment of individual genius through the actions of her self-portrait in the moment of painting.