• Riccardo Barilla
  
• Giambattista Bodoni
  
• Vittorio Bottego
  
• Cardinal Ferrari
  
• Giovannino Guareschi
  
• Padre Lino Maupas
  
• Maria Luigia d'Austria
• Parmigianino
• Renzo Pezzani
• Arturo Toscanini
• Giuseppe Verdi

• Gazzetta di Parma
  

Parmigianino

and European mannerism

 

Painter (his real name was Francesco Mazzola), he was born in Parma on 11th January 1503, belonging to a family of artists; after the death of his father Filippo he was placed under the care of his uncles Pier Ilario and Michele Mazzola, painters.

His education occurred mainly due to the contact with the work of Correggio in Parma. In 1524, after a period of noteable work in the city, he moved on to Rome, staying there until the famous “sacco” of 1527.
In these years the Parmigianino made himself known amongst the youngest representatives of the post-Raffaelesca Roman school, probably in close contact with Perin del Vaga and Rosso Fiorentino, also present in Rome.

After having moved on to Bologna in 1527, he returned to his native city in 1531, where he was ordered to carry out the affresco work on the “Chiesa della Steccata”, a duty from which he was exempted from in 1539 not managing to finish the work. In fact it seems that during those years, the artist was so absorbed by the study of alchemy that he let his duties go as a painter; this pseudo-scientific cult which for him was part of a personal substitute of that religious experience that the Church at that time couldn’t offer his worrying nature.

Worried about all his legal problems which arose regarding his non-fulfilment of contract, Parmigianino found refuge at Casalmaggiore, where he died about a year later
at the early age of 37.