Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying art medium made with pigment and a drying-oil binder that allows extended working time, smooth blending, and layered application.
Painter
Parmigianino
Parmigianino was an Italian Mannerist painter whose elongated figures, elegant gestures, and unusual perspectives helped define the movement's refined artificiality.
Parmigianino quick facts
Parmigianino's famous unfinished Madonna with the Long Neck demonstrates Mannerism's deliberately elongated bodies and unstable proportions. He also worked as a draughtsman and etcher; printed etchings are not paint media.
| Born | 1503 · Parma, Duchy of Milan (now Italy) |
|---|---|
| Died | 1540 · Casalmaggiore, Duchy of Milan (now Italy) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Movements | Mannerism |
| Paint types | Oil Paint |
| Painting surfaces | Wood |
| Painting methods | Layered oil paint on prepared wood panels, elongated forms, sinuous contours, expressive brushstrokes, and preparatory drawings and etchings |
| Common subjects | Madonna and Child, mystic marriages, courtly sitters, saints, religious altarpieces, and sophisticated portraits |
| Notable works | Madonna with the Long Neck · The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine · Portrait of a Collector · The Madonna and Child with Saints John the Baptist and Jerome |
Sources: Uffizi: Madonna with the Long Neck, oil on panel, National Gallery: Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine, oil on wood, National Gallery: Portrait of a Collector, oil on wood, National Gallery: Madonna and Child with Saints, oil on wood.
Paint types used
The Uffizi and National Gallery document the selected paintings as oil on wood. His etchings and preparatory drawings are separate graphic media rather than additional paint types.
Surface types used
Madonna with the Long Neck, Portrait of a Collector, and The Mystic Marriage of Saint Catherine were painted in oil directly on wooden panels, not on canvas.
Wood
Wood is a natural, porous material with grain patterns and absorbency that vary by species and cut. Its surface may also contain knots, resin, or an existing finish.
Painters similar to Parmigianino
Pontormo shares Parmigianino's expressive departures from High Renaissance balance, while Bronzino represents a cooler, highly polished Florentine variant.
Pontormo
Pontormo was a Florentine Mannerist painter known for emotionally charged religious subjects, unconventional spaces, and intense, sometimes startling color.
Agnolo Bronzino
Agnolo Bronzino was an Italian Mannerist painter known for finely detailed Medici portraits, cool expressions, and polished, elaborate allegories.