Aphrodite vs. Birth of Venus Essay

Édouard Manet, a French Realism painter, who set the roots for Modernism, painted Olympia with oil on canvas. In Manet’s Olympia we could see a lot of inspiration and influence from Titian’s Venus of Urbino from the Venetian Renaissance period. In the foreground of Olympia, there is a nude woman wearing nothing but a bracelet, necklace, a pair of earrings and slippers. The woman is

Stemming from a desired standpoint, Aphrodite, a gorgeous, perpetual young woman with a beautiful body is known as the goddess of love and beauty. Graciously assisting men charm their desired spouse with love enchantments, Aphrodite herself was no stranger to divine lovers as she held various relationships with both gods and mortals. Yet, despite her dynamic desirability and mixed personality, Aphrodite had to overcome her weak and frightful self (http://www.greek-gods.info/greek-gods/aphrodite/) due to her jealousy. Even though it was thought that she was born the daughter of Zeus and Dione, it was more frequently believed that she was born of the foam in the sea off of island Cyprus. Later on, Aphrodite went to marry lame smith Hephaestus, Olympian god of Iron, but was quietly acquiring a private affair with Ares, god of War.

While male nudity was straightforward and hiding nothing, female nudity was more reserved. In the first fully nude female sculpture, Aphrodite of Knidos by Praxitales c. 350-340bc., "the ‘feminine principle’ (is invented) which as a demure pose where the knees are brought together and sometimes the hand is discreetly before the genitals"(Riffert). This reference shows that in art as in life, women are depicted as less than equal to their bold male counterparts. Usually female statues were either draped in some way or

Aphrodite represents erotic love as a fascinating form of divine influence. The nude Aphrodite has powerful meaning and

The Torso of Aphrodite was constructed in the 1st century A.D. and is made entirely of marble. The torso used to belong to a life-sized version statue of The Greek goddess of love Aphrodite. From the moment I saw this piece, I knew I was attracted to it in a deeper way. It

Athena and Diomedes actions and thoughts indicate that Aphrodite is week, cowardly, and overdramatic about her pain, and words like week, and cowardly suggest that Aphrodite deserves her wound because she is a major reason behind the Trojan war. In sentences 403-407 suggest that Aphrodite is over reacting to the cut on her wrist, but Homer uses words such as Fell, Begged, and help me to point out that Aphrodite is not used to pain and she is not feeling well. On lines 417-423, Diane comforts Aphrodite, and tells her that she is not the only god that got hurt during battle, and tries to calm Aphrodite. While Diane is comforting Aphrodite, she says that its Aphrodite’s fault and she should have stayed away from battle( because she is not used

In 1538, the Venus of Urbino was commissioned by the Duke of Urbino Guidobaldo II Della Rovere, to his bride as a wedding gift. Titian referenced his teacher’s work, which is Giorgione’s Sleeping Venus , It described Venus sleeping on the ground, in nature, nude. Her gesture is almost same as Titian’s Venus of Urbino, distinguished by the position of her right arm. Titian used the “Velatura” as known as “glazing” technique, which is a technique of applying multiple layers of transparent thin paint to create the final piece, the charm of this technique is the painting is as smooth as glass and the

The Venus of Willendorf was found in 1908 by a workman named “Johann Veran” (Selen). It was found by archeologists at a Paleolithic site. Here at the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria, we have the only authentic Venus Figurine (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien). The artifact’s purpose is still being speculated by many. But from what I can infer, the figurine was used a a maternal figure, and it shows the richness of female fertility.

The reading claims that nudes throughout artistic history have been an important source of beauty and controversy. Nudes began to spike during the Baroque period as they were used for the more expressive and emotional arts of the time. In the nineteenth century, nudes became more common, yet became more sensitive. Artists would train by drawing nudes of ancient Greek statues and figures from myth. However, many artists would then move on to create works depicting prostitutes or peasant naked women. This would not please patrons as they were extremely societally taboo. However, this did not start artists from making them, as they moved into the twentieth and twenty-first century. This shows the importance of artistic nudes and their impact

Aphrodite statues were very popular in Greece during the Hellenistic period. The marble Aphrodite of Knidos was the most renowned among the many Greek goddesses. Also written as the Aphrodite of Cnidus, the marble sculpture was created by an Attic sculptor known as Praxiteles during the 4th century BC. Arguably, it is believed to be the earliest major sculpture to show the goddess in the nude. Praxiteles also created another draped version of the marble Aphrodite of Knidos. It is said that the draped version was the first to be sold, while the nude version remained rejected

The love of marriage is shown in the small myrtle flower lying beside Venus, the flower petals and shell above her head are both said to be in connection to marriage. What's also very important to the painting is the way the bodies are positioned and what they are doing. Venus lying down placing her hand amongst her chest, this further resembles the institution of marriage in partnership and brings forth desire. Cupid on the other hand, which I was curious about, is peeing in Venus’s direction, through an ivy plant which is mentioned to represent fertility. On the Museums website this act along with the veil, crown, and pearl earrings, represent fertility referenced by “Italian Venetians”. What I found most interesting about this painting is the tiny snake near Venus. Why is it there? Especially in a painting that resembles marriage. The museum website mentions that this snake reveals the “darker aspect” of marriage. That is, “illicit”, not approved of. I also wondered about the rod that lies near Venus, and the website does say that it is most likely used to discipline Cupid. Nevertheless, the meaning of the painting is marriage as a happy institution, the museum also mentions that the message of “epithalamia” is conveyed as necessary, and that marriage is something everyone must do, and experience, and that this is in our nature to do so. Which explains the very natural

The statue is a Roman reproduction of a Greek work. It shows Venus, the goddess of love, standing bare-breasted and clutching a piece of cloth draped around her hips. At her feet, there is a dolphin that, practically, adds support to the piece and artistically makes an allusion to Venus's birth from the sea. As the notes from the Getty Museum explain, the statue is derived from a very popular Greek statue created by the sculptor Praxiteles around 350 B.C. The statue was so popular that it was copied by many artists.

for her beauty. The Romans called her Venus but still thought of her the same way the

Artist and people viewing the art work have always had a fascination with the female nude. Even when I was a child my attention was captured by the nude art not because I was a kid and I saw a nude lady , but it forced me to wonder more about why the female nude was so amazing as a tool for art and why this is repeated so many times throughout the centuries. One female nude painting in particular was the subject of controversy and exposed the syncretism and or the power of the female nude painting.

1993). One thing that differs from Earth is that there is no water liquid on the Venusian surface.