The Birth Of Venus

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Although the pose of Venus is classical in some respects, and borrows the position of the hands from the Venus Pudica type in Greco-Roman sculptures (see section below), the overall treatment of the figure, standing off-centre with a curved body of long flowing lines, is in many respects from Gothic art. Kenneth Clark wrote: "Her differences from antique form are not physiological, but rhythmic and structural. Her whole body follows the curve of a Gothic ivory. It is entirely without that quality so much prized in classical art, known as aplomb; that is to say, the weight of the body is not distributed evenly either side of a central plumb line. .... She is not standing but floating. ... Her shoulders, for example, instead of forming a sort of architrave to her torso, as in the antique nude, run down into her arms in the same unbroken stream of movement as her floating hair." [15] When a handsome young painter comes to decorate her father's new chapel, the temptation to meet a real artist is too great and she can't keep away. While it is against the law for unmarried unchaperoned women even to speak to an artist, she risks everything to try to get the painter to teach her. But he refuses. An alternative solution is offered when a 48-year-old man asks for her hand in marriage. He understands about her love of knowledge and art and tells her he will allow her to paint as his wife. It seems almost too good to be true, and she jumps at the opportunity.

The surrounding landscape is also rich in color tones, for example, the cooler colors like the light blue of the ocean and sky meet the warmer and deeper color tones and shades of green and brown from the land. There is also more shading around the right side of the painting as we approach the forested area.

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Dempsey, Charles, "Botticelli, Sandro", Grove Art Online, Oxford Art Online. Oxford University Press. Web. 15 May. 2017. subscription required. The Birth of Venus painting by Alessandro Botticelli is one of the most famous mythological paintings from the Early Renaissance period. Although Sandro Botticelli was not as popular as other artists from the Renaissance, such as Leonardo da Vinci or Michelangelo, he still contributed one of the most beautiful and sensory-enriching paintings of the goddess Venus. Alternative identifications for the two secondary female figures involve those also found in the Primavera; the nymph held by Zephyr may be Chloris, a flower nymph he married in some versions of her story, and the figure on land may be Flora. [7] Flora is generally the Roman equivalent of the Greek Chloris; in the Primavera Chloris is transformed into the figure of Flora next to her, following Ovid's Fasti, [8] but it is hard to see that such a transformation is envisaged here. However, the roses blown along with the two flying figures would be appropriate for Chloris. To Venus’ right (our left) are two figures in the air, busy blowing towards Venus. They have been identified as the Greek god Zephyr, associated with the west winds. He was one of the gentler winds, associated with the beginnings of Spring.

The composition, with a central nude figure, and one to the side with an arm raised above the head of the first, and winged beings in attendance, would have reminded its Renaissance viewers of the traditional iconography of the Baptism of Christ, marking the start of his ministry on earth. In a similar way, the scene shows here marks the start of Venus's ministry of love, whether in a simple sense, or the expanded meaning of Renaissance Neoplatonism. [30] In the centre the newly born goddess Venus stands nude in a giant scallop shell. The size of the shell is purely imaginary, and is also found in classical depictions of the subject. [3] At the left the wind god Zephyrus blows at her, with the wind shown by lines radiating from his mouth. He is in the air, and carries a young female, who is also blowing, but less forcefully. Both have wings. Vasari was probably correct in identifying her as " Aura", personification of a lighter breeze. [4] Their joint efforts are blowing Venus towards the shore, and blowing the hair and clothes of the other figures to the right. [5] If you are looking for a light fiction novel where lead characters just happen to meet all the right people at the right points in time, where all the strings of lfe are neatly tied up, where character portrayal is shallow, go ahead - read "The Birth of Venus". Then read "The Agony and the Ecstasy" and make a comparison. You will see what I mean. Here is my review of Stone's book, which I gave 4 stars:

A young Florentine girl, Alessandra Cecchi, is drawn to a young painter commissioned to paint the family's chapel walls. The painter is brought to her home by her father, a rich textile merchant whose business would be negatively affected by the rise of Girolamo Savonarola in Florence over the next few years. The book follows Alessandra's daily life, and is written in the first person, as a memoir written by Alessandra late in her life. Her passion for painting and learning serve her well, but her family does not approve. Her mother tries her hardest to shape Alessandra into a woman who will be desired by a successful and powerful man. Eventually, after Alessandra has met the painter, but before her feelings for him and his talent have made themselves known to her, her hateful brother Tomaso suggests strong but quiet Cristoforo Langella as a potential husband for her. She marries him shortly afterward.

The use of color and light is illustrated in this close-up of Venus from Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, c. 1485; Sandro Botticelli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons The painting is large in scale, measuring 1.72 x 2.78 meters. It is also slightly smaller than Botticelli’s La Primavera (c. 1482 to 1483). If it was the case where this painting was made for the Medici family, it was made to adorn a wall space perfectly fit for private living space compared to public spaces. Botticelli set a new precedent with his painting "Birth of Venus." He rendered the work on canvas. This was a departure from the plank paintings and frescoes the other masters of his day worked with. In fact, because

The subject is not strictly the "Birth of Venus", a title given to the painting only in the nineteenth century (though given as the subject by Vasari), but the next scene in her story, where she arrives on land, blown by the wind. The land probably represents either Cythera or Cyprus, both Mediterranean islands regarded by the Greeks as territories of Venus. [9] Technical [ edit ] We can find clear references to the “Stanzas”, a famous poetic work by Agnolo Poliziano, a contemporary of Botticelli and the greatest Neoplatonic poet of the Medici court. Neoplatonism was a current of thought that tried to connect the Greek and Roman cultural heritage with Christianity. Furthermore, her stance is unrealistic as she leans too far to her left side without anything supporting her. In a more realistic setting, she would fall over. This elongation and inaccurate portrayal of proportion and stance heighten Venus’ beauty and her as almost an otherworldly figure that has just been given life. There are other areas where Botticelli uses line to show three-dimensionality and more dynamism, as in Venus’ clamshell and the drapery of the figure on the right, as well as the cloak she holds up for Venus, which is portrayed in flowing lines suggesting the billowing from the wind to the left. Venus’ hair is another example and one of the primary attractions of this painting, not only depicted in a golden strawberry color but also long and lustrous, billowing in the wind.

St. Clair, Kassia (2016). The Secret Lives of Colour. London: John Murray. p.88. ISBN 9781473630819. OCLC 936144129. The surrounding landscape is split between the light blue of the ocean, making up most of the left of the composition. It meets the grassy shoreline on the right-hand side of the composition, which extends into what appears to be a hilly landscape with various scattered trees in the distance. There is a forest in the right foreground where the Hora of Spring awaits. Orange blossoms decorate the trees. Other blossoms are blown towards Venus as she reaches the shore, these include beautiful pink roses with gilded centers.The Medici commissioned the Birth of Venus, including the works Pallas and the Centaur and the Allegory of Spring at the Uffizi, and these belonged to Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici, a cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent.