Man die zijn vinger waarschuwend opheft 1530s

Parmigianino created this red chalk drawing of a nude man raising his finger in the 1520s or 30s. The image encapsulates the Mannerist style then emerging in Italy, where artists pursued elegance and refinement, often at the expense of naturalism. Parmigianino was part of a generation that came of age during a crisis for the institutions of Italian art. The Sack of Rome in 1527 dispersed artists across the continent, undoing Rome's status as the center of artistic patronage. Looking at the drawing, we might ask: What is the man warning against? What norms is he challenging? Is this a comment on the turbulent state of Italian politics? Or is Parmigianino critiquing artistic conventions? The social and political context of this drawing can be explored further through historical documents from the period. This will allow us to develop a clearer understanding of the work, and, more broadly, of the role of art in a time of upheaval.