Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John 1527

Jacopo Pontormo painted this small oil on wood panel of the Madonna and Child with the Young Saint John in Florence, Italy, sometime in the early 16th century. The composition places the figures close to the picture plane, their bodies almost overflowing the frame. Note how the elongated figures and ambiguous space are hallmarks of the emerging Mannerist style, which rejected the High Renaissance’s emphasis on balance and naturalism. We can ask, was this rejection motivated by the religious and political upheavals of the Reformation? Art historians often consult letters, diaries, and financial records of the time to understand the changing social and institutional contexts that shaped artistic production. These sources can help us to understand whether artists were consciously embracing or rejecting tradition, and what that might mean for the public role of art.