F. Parmigianino (January 11, 1503 - August 24, 1540) was one of the remarkable portrait painters of the country outside Venice. In its technical virtuosity and suave attenuations, the style that he developed was one of the most influential and brilliant manifestations of mannerism. Some of his best portraits are in the Gallery of Capodimonte, in Naples, and in the National Museum, including the portrait of a young woman called Antea and the Gian Galeazzo Sanvitalle which he did in 1524. His work is distinguished by elongation and distortion of the human figure, by ambiguities of spatial composition and by the pursuit of grace or a sensuous, rhythmical beauty beyond the beauty of nature. This beauty isn’t only in his paintings but also in his sensitive and numerous drawings. Parmigianino was active in his native city of Parma and also in Bologna, Rome and Florence. Some of his notable works are the Madonna with the Long neck and the Vision of Saint Jerome.
Parmigianino was also one of the first Italian artists to practice etching. The etching technique was pioneered in Italy by Marcantunio Raimondi and it appealed to many draughtsmen. Parmigianino moved to Rome in 1524. He used the etching needle with the freedom of a pen to reproduce his own drawings which were in great demand.
He carried with him three samples of his work that he wanted to use to impress the pope. He returned to Parme in 1531 and that’s where he stayed until his death. The principal works of his last period include the frescoes on the vault and the Madonna of the long Neck.
