School+of+Fontainebleau

**School of Fontainebleau (** **Ecole de Fontainebleau****)**
(1530-1610)-refers to two periods of artistic production in France during the late [|Renaissance] centered around the royal [|Château de Fontainebleau], that were crucial in forming the French version of [|Northern Mannerism]. The works of this "first school of Fontainebleau" are characterized by the extensive use of [|stucco] (moldings and picture frames) and [|frescos], and an elaborate (and often mysterious) system of [|allegories] and [|mythological] iconography. Renaissance decorative motifs such as [|grotesques], [|strapwork] and [|putti] are common, as well as a certain degree of eroticism. The figures are elegant and show the influence of the techniques of the Italian [|Mannerism] of [|Michelangelo], [|Raphael] and especially [|Parmigianino]. The works of the Flemish born [|Ambroise Dubois] (from Antwerp) and the Parisians [|Toussaint Dubreuil] and [|Martin Fréminet] are sometimes referred to as the "second school of Fontainebleau". Their late mannerist works, many of which have been lost, continue in the use of elongated and undulating forms and crowded compositions.