Portrait of the Artist's Sisters and Brother by Sofonisba Anguissola; 1555. Located in the Methuen Collection in Corsham Court, Wiltshire.
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- "Portrait" was part of the Mannerist period. One clear aspect of Mannerism is the staged almost unrealistic way in which the artists captured their images. Mannerists were also known to look to earlier art as reference instead of using direct observation. Commonly found in Mannerist pieces are strong traces of distortion, exaggeration, and heavy contrasts.
- In "Portrait", Anguissola takes Mannerism and spikes it with cunning charm. She creates an intimacy with the characters through slight tonalities of humor and informality. With poses that would be more characteristic of photography, Anguissola's figures slap viewers in the face with childlike playfulness.
- I was instantly attracted to this painting because of its stark quirkiness. How could you not be? The boy is holding a dog, the girl on the right has her lips pursed in a manner usually characteristic of older nannies, and the girl on the left is looking at the painter with an expression of tired annoyance on her face. This portrait is simply wonderful. It is a breadth of fresh air from stuffy and classical Renaissance pieces.
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