Final answer:
Mannerist painters, such as El Greco, differed from Renaissance artists by favoring complexity, ambiguity, and tension in their work, including exaggerated poses, distortions of space and scale, and use of unnatural colors.
Step-by-step explanation:
Mannerist painters differed from earlier Renaissance artists primarily in the style and mood of their work. While Renaissance artists were focused on achieving balance, harmony, and a sense of clear, rational space in their works, Mannerists broke these rules deliberately. They favored complexity, ambiguity, and tension in their compositions. Their work is often characterized by exaggerated poses, distortions of space and scale, and the use of unnatural colors. A good example of a Mannerist artist is El Greco, whose distorted and elongated figures are a clear break from the balanced and realistic proportions favored by earlier Renaissance artists like Michelangelo or Raphael.
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