Sandro Botticelli painted the Birth of Venus. The people of this time are used to paintings about Christianity. They are not as used to paintings about ancient Roman gods. Many people of this time have not heard of the Roman history. The Renaissance was a birth of ancient Greek and Roman culture and art. So all this art about the ancient Greeks and Romans was new to them. Venus is the goddess of fertility and love in the ancient Roman culture. Zephyr “ was the gentle wind of the west and the interceder between the World of the living and the Underworld. Aura was the same as Zephyr, she was just a female though. The Birth of Venus shows Venus favoring one of her legs which is a very common thing that sculptors would use in their sculptures,
Botticelli was able to master these techniques due to being taught by another prominent Renaissance artist, Filippo Lippi. First, there is a lot of detail. For example, there are hundreds of different types of flowers and leaves in the meadow. Upon looking closely at the clothing of the different characters, one can see the immense detail used by Botticelli in the tassels and fabric of the clothing. Furthermore, the flower detail connecting Flora to Chloris is a small detail that has a deeper emblematic meaning. The standing positions of characters give off a vibe of elegance and grace to viewers; according to Dr. Harris an Art Historian from Khan Academy, "She (Venus) tilts her head to one side and holds up her drapery and motions with her hands and looks directly at us," (Harris). The position of Venus is very elegant and inviting to viewers. Also, Botticelli portrayed the subject matter in a naturalistic way, a common convention of the Renaissance. Botticelli paid attention to the canon of proportions or the standard for symmetry of the face and body as evidenced by the similarities between the La Primavera and other Renaissance paintings, all of which depict the standards of beauty of the time or what was ideal beauty. Formally speaking, Botticelli went against the conventions of the
Sandro Botticelli’s Venus and Mars is a tempera and oil painting on poplar panel, illustrating a scene from the classical mythology story of Venus and Mars, who are engaging in a love affair with each other. The painting was made during the Renaissance, around 1485. It’s dimensions are 69.2 × 173.4 cm and it is currently located at The National Gallery in London, room 58 (Nationalgallery.org.uk, n.d.)
One artist from the time, who was very popular for his reclining nudes was Giorgione (1477-1510) who painting Venus Resting, which was thought to have been left unfinished and the landscape to have been painted by Titian. The venus was originally meant to be accompanied by a cupid which has been painted out due to damage done to the painting, the cupid would have acted as a mediator between the goddess and the spectator (Chicago and Lucie-Smith,
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 Mazarin Venus at the Getty has been restored extensively. Scholars believe the head actually belonged to another ancient statue. Nevertheless, it is still a beautiful piece that demonstrates how the ancients viewed their gods. Venus has a beautifully proportioned and shapely figure. She has a lovely face, also classically proportioned, that is framed by curls. Her hair cascades down her back and falls over one shoulder. She gazes off to the side. She is graceful and elegant, showing herself with neither boldness nor undue modesty. She represents the female ideal of her times. Her beauty mirrors the beauty of love. The Greek sculptor who originally created the figure and the Roman sculptor who copied it did
The work of art that I have chosen to write about, is the Three Miracles of Saint Zenobius (1500-10). This painting is part of a bigger collection that depicts scenes from the life of Saint Zenobius. It’s sister pieces are spread out in different parts of the world, such places as, London, Dresden and New York itself. The painter of this entire collection is Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) and he belongs to the Early part of the Renaissance. It is worth to note, that Botticelli was taught by Filippo Lippi. Fra Filippo Lippi was a prominent artist of his time and he painted his work with great color and as well with a narrative quality. Botticelli himself made a name for himself by his artistic style and to his contribution to painting the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel and even though his most notable work of art was the Birth of Venus that was created eighteen years prior to the Three Miracles, this piece of work takes a different approach than his other paintings. The painting itself resembles the Scenes from the life of Saint John the Baptist (1490/95) and it could be said that Botticelli was inspired by it.
Venus of adonis was painted by Tiziano Vecellio and dates back to A.D 1400-1600. He was one of the greatest italian renaissance painter and he was recognized as a great painter early in his life. He was a master of the oil medium and a supreme colorist. Many of his paintings represent either religion, antiquity and/or beauty. In his painting of Venus and Adonis it was inspired by a tale called Ovid’s Metamorphoses and therefore was called poetry in paint, also known as poesie (The MET). The painting portrays the goddess Venus has fallen in love with Adonis. The goddess Venus is trying to hold back Adonis because she does not want him leaving, since he is a hunter. While the goddess Venus is trying to hold Adonis back, his dogs are
From Pollaiuolo creator of the engraving Battle of the Nudes to Michelangelo's David the human form was not about reality but idealism the ultimate portrayal of God's ultimate creation. This perfected view of the human form can also be seen later in Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man and Michelangelo's muscular figures whether male or female. Humanism’s affects did not stop there. The topics of paintings also began to change. Botticelli’s Primavera and The Birth of Venus depict this change clearly. Both show mythological themes. The focus on these themes inspired Raphael and Titan to develop their famous pieces as the early Renaissance became the High Renaissance. From here interesting occurrences began to evolve. Humanism itself develops a new school of thought known as Neo-Platonism; an idea that mixes ancient philosophy and Christian truth. For example, the reaction to Botticelli's creations was that of others trying to find a religious meaning within the mythological topic. Slowly however, even this will fade as the Mannerist style develops. Along with the movement toward secular and eventually erotic portrayals of art the artist began to enjoy a new status. Duke explains that they became “practitioners of the high-status liberal arts” someone to be sought after, someone to study and someone to stand in awe of. Humanism’s affect spread north but there
Were they meant to be sexual art for men or were they simply ways for women to express their appreciation for their bodies? How would one figure out whether a male or female crafted them? From whose point of view are we seeing these Venus figurines? We do not even know for certain who had possession of them making theories of its cultural significance problematic. If indeed women were resposible for their own representaions then that would point to that they were equally as gifted in tool and accessory making as men. It can also suggest that women of the Upper Paleolithic age had diverse roles including the making of these
Artemisia Gentileschi, Venus and Cupid, ca. 1625-30. Oil on canvas, 38 x 56 5/6 inches. Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, VA.
Venus in Botticelli's painting is a Renaissance beauty. During the Renaissance women were believed to look more attractive if they had some weight to them. It
The Birth of Venus is a magnificent piece of art, which was created by the artist Sandro Botecelli between the years of 1482 to 1485. It is considered as one of the most classic and extravagant pieces of art. Botecelli’s masterpiece resembles that of classic antiquity. The painting itself hung in the country villa of the Medici. It is also an example of XV century Italian painting. It is one of the first examples of paintings on a canvas. It’s theme comes from Ovid’s metamorphosis, which was considered as a vital part of Latin Literature. In the painting, Venus is depicted who is considered to be the goddess of love. On her right is the goddess of the winds, Zephyrus, who is depicted to blow the goddess of love a shore. This tells the viewer
nude goddess and depicted the same image in his painting The Birth of Venus (1482). This
Also known by the titles "Venus, Cupid, Folly, and Time" and "A Triumph of Venus", this painting was on purpose designed as a complex, erotic allegory that includes an extent of iconographic symbols from the ancient world of mythology. It was a present from Cosimo de Medici to King Francis I of France. Being rich and vivid in symbolism relating to the constituting ideas of the High Renaissance, the painting gives Bronzino the opportunity to establish his maestro figure painting and portrait art. Through personification of qualities and varying contrast and brightness, Bronzino is able to justify that personal gains outweigh anything and everything that is moral.
The Birth of Venus (Nascita di Venere) is a painting done by Florentine artist Sandro Botticelli in 1486. The painting depicts the moment the goddess Venus first emerges from the waters of the sea and prepares to step onto the shore. Through linear techinques and artistic symbolism, the painting not only depicts the story and narrative of the goddess Venus’s birth but also seeks to exhibit the many different types of love and adoration which surround the creation of life.