MANNERISM

(ART) [noun] [U] [specialized] - a style of 16th century art, common in Italy, France and Spain, which did not follow traditional rules of painting and tried to represent an image of beauty that was perfect rather than naturalMannerism is characterized by a distortion of proportions and perspective.Mannerism is also used to describe a style in architecture which is typified by Michaelangelo's later works.