| Author | Sandro Botticelli |
|---|---|
| Technique | Tempera on canvas |
| Style | Renaissance |
| Dimensions | 278,5 cm × 172,5 cm |
| Location | Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy |
We have already analyzed several modern paintings, it’s time to change a bit and jump a few years back in the timeline of human history, now we are between XV and XVI century, in the Renaissance. A unique and wonderful period for art and science, where philosophy begins to gradually abandon dogmas and poetry gains popularity, a time where the present is revolutionized by making allusions and representations of the past.
Context
"The birth of Venus" or "La nascita di Venere" was painted in the High Renaissance between 1482 and 1485 by the Italian painter Sandro Botticelli. Together with "Primavera", another of his recognized works, was exhibited for the first time to the public in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence in 1815. The stylistic qualities that it has make it very distinctive but what it represented at the time was also very important.
It’s an iconic painting that maintains an important influence on contemporary art and culture. This work is famous for daring to break the barriers of censorship and prejudices of the time with the first full-body nude in over a millennium since the works of classical Greco-Roman art of around 400 BC. Thanks to the social power of the Medici family (those who commissioned the painting), the work was not censored by the church after it was completed.
Botticelli stood out for reviving the mythological interests of classical antiquity compared to other Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo, da Vinci and Raphael who, although they also considered the Greek and Roman works to be inspired, Christian iconography prevailed in their works. In addition, his paintings contained philosophical and humanistic meanings, his interest in the idealized beauty of human figures is remarkable.
It is believed that his inspiration to represent this scene came from the poem "La Giostra Estanza" by Angelo Poliziano, poet protected by Lorenzo de Medici, who in turn was inspired by Homeric hymns dedicated to the goddess.
The story described by Homer tells that Cronus, the god of time, cuts the genitals of his father Uranus and throws them into the sea, the rubbing of the foam with these begets Venus that is then transported by Zephyrus’ blowing to the shores of the island of Cyprus where she's carried by the Hours to the place of the Immortals.
Analysis
At first glance we see Venus, the goddess of love, in the center of the composition on a large shell (which refers to female fertility). Stands out her long and flowing hair, she uses it to cover her private parts while with her right arm tries to cover her breasts, her posture is not a coincidence since it is typical in the several Roman statues known as the Venus Pudica. The nakedness of Venus becomes modesty, which fills her with magnificence and gives her a heavenly touch.
The goddess is surrounded by other mythological characters, on her right we can see Zephyr, the god of the wind, with his wife Cloris, a nymph associated with flowers. Zephyr is in an inclined position and is strongly held by Cloris, is blowing strongly to help Venus to reach the mainland.
On the left we see a female figure that prepares to cover the naked body of Venus with a red robe with flowers, she represents the Hours, the goddesses of the seasons and nature, Poliziano in his texts mentions three Hours but Botticelli reduces them to one, the flowers that surround Venus indicate that the season is spring.
Lines predominate over color, Botticelli uses dark lines to reinforce the contours, as if it were a classic sculpture. This allows him to show his interest in the search for absolute beauty with the nude of Venus. The anatomical dimensions of the protagonist are exaggerated, her body is excessively elongated and her right forearm is very long compared to her arm.
The picture does not have much perspective, with the waves of the sea and the vegetation in the background gets a sense of limited depth. The light stands out in the central area of the painting, where Venus is located, and in the lower right corner the scene is much darker, while in the upper part the trees are illuminated from above.
On the color, the general tone is polychromatic, in the background the cold colors dominate and in the foreground the warm colors, giving a contrast is perceived harmonious and balanced.
The composition of this painting is pyramidal, the three elements of the first plane form a visual triangle, which generates a tension towards the central point of the image. The waving and majestic movement of the golden hair of Venus and the waves, respond to the painter's desire to perpetuate the moment of the most reliable form as described in the poem.
In essence, the painting is a mystical image that traps us and leaves us in a state of contemplation.
Curiosities
- It is generally believed that this work was commissioned by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de Médici in order to decorate the Villa di Castello in Florence. But recent studies show that "The Birth of Venus" was a request from another person for a different place. Therefore, the exact date of its composition is not known, nor for whom it was addressed.
- It is documented by Botticelli that Venus was interpreted by Simonetta Cattaneo, better known as «La bella Simonetta», a Florentine muse protected by the Medici. Both were installed in Castello, owned by the Medici.
Images extracted from Wikipedia
My recent posts
Review of "Liberty leading the people" by Eugene Delacroix
Review of "The starry night" by Vincent Van Gogh
Review of "The scream" by Edvard Munch
Review of "The persistence of memory" by Salvador Dali
Great painting
Thanks. I enjoyed reading this.
beautiful
Hello! I find your post valuable for the art community! Thanks for the great post! ARTzone is now following you! ALWAYs follow @artzone and the artzone tag, and support our artists!
Greetings! I am a minnow exclusive bot that gives a 5X upvote! I recommend this amazing guide on how to be a steemit rockstar! I was made by @EarthNation to make Steemit easier and more rewarding for minnows.
Cool! You really like painting. Upvoted by rubelynmacion of krypto
Congratulations! This post has been upvoted from the communal account, @minnowsupport, by alejandromata from the Minnow Support Project. It's a witness project run by aggroed, ausbitbank, teamsteem, theprophet0, someguy123, neoxian, followbtcnews, and netuoso. The goal is to help Steemit grow by supporting Minnows. Please find us at the Peace, Abundance, and Liberty Network (PALnet) Discord Channel. It's a completely public and open space to all members of the Steemit community who voluntarily choose to be there.
If you would like to delegate to the Minnow Support Project you can do so by clicking on the following links: 50SP, 100SP, 250SP, 500SP, 1000SP, 5000SP.
Be sure to leave at least 50SP undelegated on your account.
very informative post, my kryptonia id is @grace234
Being here thanks to Kryptonia, I like your post a lot. Wishing you many readers!
Great post :)
My kryptonia Id is @febbiemarieyap
upvote for u from kryptonia @ziggy
Sneaky Ninja Attack! You have just been defended with a 2.09% upvote!
I was summoned by alejandromata. I have done their bidding and now I will vanish…
woosh
P.S. If you or anyone you know has been a victim of @grumpycat please know that he has been harming people throughout Sōsharumedia (ソーシャルメディア). Stealing the service that I (and other bots) have provided them and hiding behind a facade of stopping bid bot abuse which he clearly has no interest in.
Sneaky Ninja is a very responsible bot, working directly with steemcleaners, actively pursuing spam and abuse on our platform. If you would like to see what steps Sneaky Ninja has taken to fight bid bot abuse see this post and this post. Also know that I am working daily on other solutions.
If you would like to know my personal take on bid bot abuse and why I do not agree with the 3.5 day rule, see this post
Grumpycat is a villain that must be stopped to protect our freedoms here on steemit!
There is a resistance that has formed to counter his tyranny.
If you would like to take an active role in stopping this menace and helping other victims like yourself...
Learn More Here
I have also summoned my love, Kusari to offer some limited help to victims like you.
See Here
Wow greate article!
Thanks for using the @postdoctor service!
You got a 15.68% upvote from @mitsuko courtesy of @alejandromata! .
Join our team and delegate your SP to earn passive income.
Get part of 80% @mitsuko profit based on your delegated SP
Delegate 10 SP
Delegate 100 SP
Delegate 200 SP
Delegate 300 SP
Delegate 500 SP
Delegate 1000 SP
or custom delegation SP
Your Post Has Been Featured on @Resteemable!
Feature any Steemit post using resteemit.com!
How It Works:
1. Take Any Steemit URL
2. Erase
https://3. Type
reGet Featured Instantly & Featured Posts are voted every 2.4hrs
Join the Curation Team Here | Vote Resteemable for Witness
Very interesting, beautiful pictures too, kryptonia id @jamescrusader
upvote!
kryptonia id @hokkaido
Most interesting post, kryptonia id @ofili2
As a friendly reminder, minimum upvote fee has increased to $0.05 SBD ($0.051 for incognito). Current 300%+ upvote is now $0.15+ SBD.
That being said…
Investors who delegate SP to @thundercurator are entitled to 75% of @thundercurator income after curation. Get on-board early and grow with us!
WoW!!!
From kryptonia id: @cy_cryptos
nice post from kryptonia @everdope
upvote
kryptonia @vote-transfer
Awesome, thanks for the info. Kryptonia @juancarlos2906
Nice beautiful article upvote @juoleuse from kryptonia