parmigianino

parmigianino (girolamo francesco maria mazzola), italian painter of the mannerist school. he was born in parma and studied there with correggio. one of the chief disciples of correggio's sensuous style, he blended it with the classical style of the roman painter raphael. about 1523 parmigianino went to rome, from which he fled to bologna in 1527, after the sack of rome by the armies of holy roman emperor charles v. in bologna he painted some of his finest works, including the madonna and child with st. margaret and other saints (academy of bologna).

he returned to parma in 1531 and began the frescoes of the church of santa maria della steccata, left unfinished at his death in 1540. the madonna with the long neck (1534-40; uffizi, florence) and cupid sharpening his bow (kunsthistorisches museum, vienna) are among his principal works. also a distinguished portrait painter, and one of the first italian etchers, he painted studies of the italian navigators christopher columbus and amerigo vespucci and a self-portrait (1524, kunsthistorisches museum).