The Birth Of Venus

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Sarah Dunant has given us a story of sacrifice and betrayal, set during Florence’s captivity under the fanatic Savonarola. She writes like a painter, and thinks like a philosopher: juxtapositioning the humane against the animal, hope against fanaticism, creativity against destruction. The Birth of Venus is a tour de force.”

The structural composition follows Christ as the central figure, the angels to his right (our left), and John the Baptist to his left (our right).Looooots of literary examples come to mind, though there’s probably nothing more cheap-ass cheap than when a series mystery/suspense writer kills off any and all potential romantic partners for the main character (cough… Tami Hoag). While Botticelli might well have been celebrated as a revivified Apelles, his Birth of Venus also testified to the special nature of Florence's chief citizen, Lorenzo de' Medici. Although it now seems that the painting was executed for another member of the Medici family, it likely was intended to celebrate and flatter its head, Lorenzo de' Medici. Tradition associates the image of Venus in Botticelli's painting with the famous beauty Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, of whom popular legend claims both Lorenzo and his younger brother, Giuliano, were great admirers. Simonetta was possibly born in the Ligurian seaside town of Portovenere ('the port of Venus'). Thus, in Botticelli's interpretation, Pankaspe (the ancient living prototype of Simonetta), the mistress of Alexander the Great (the Laurentian predecessor), becomes the lovely model for the lost Venus executed by the famous Greek painter Apelles (reborn through the recreative talents of Botticelli), which ended up in Rome, installed by Emperor Augustus in the temple dedicated to Florence's supposed founder Julius Caesar. The figure of Venus and her gestural style is also believed to have been taken from the sculptural style Venus Pudica. In fact, Botticelli has crafted his feminine figure almost like a marble statue painted on canvas. This is also reminiscent of the Classical era’s Greco-Roman sculptures of female nudes.

Botticelli used softer more earthy color tones set complimentary to the other, for example, the red drapery to the right and the green and blue from the drapery of the two figures to the left. Venus herself is portrayed in the lighter skin tones directly linked with her being a symbol of beauty and perfection. Other Christian interpretations suggest it alludes to the Garden of Eden and Venus as a symbol of Eve’s nudity. The Renaissance movement took place in Italy and Northern Europe, however, the Early Renaissance predominantly occurred in Florence and then Rome during the later years. It was spearheaded by wealthy families, especially the Medici family. They were also avid patrons of the arts and commissioned various artists, including Botticelli, to produce artworks for them. Botticelli's famous painting of The Birth of Venus was executed in the middle of the 1480s. At the start of the 16th century, the painting hung together withThe 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. The Birth of Venus painting was also painted on canvas, which was one of the first of this type of medium used for painting. Most paintings were done on wooden panels, but canvases became more popular because they were cheaper.

LEFT: No. 23 of Scenes from the Life of Christ: 7. Baptism of Christ (1304-1306) by Giotto di Bondone; Giotto, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons | RIGHT: Baptism of Christ (1448-1450) by Piero della Francesca; Piero della Francesca, Public domain, via Wikimedia CommonsAlicia du Plessis is a multidisciplinary writer. She completed her Bachelor of Arts degree, majoring in Art History and Classical Civilization, as well as two Honors, namely, in Art History and Education and Development, at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. For her main Honors project in Art History, she explored perceptions of the San Bushmen’s identity and the concept of the “Other”. She has also looked at the use of photography in art and how it has been used to portray people’s lives. To Venus’ left (our right) there is another female figure on the shore, waiting to meet her. She holds out a florally decorated cloak to cover Venus. This figure is identified as one of the Horae, which are the goddesses of the seasons, specifically the Hora of Spring due to the floral patterns and flowers on her dress. Her head is tilted to her right side and her body posture is like that of a contrapposto-styled stance. Botticelli was believed to have been influenced by Poliziano because both had some sort of involvement with members of the Medici family at the time. We see Botticelli’s Venus emulating the same features as those of the Aphrodite of Knidos (Cnidus) (c. 4 th century BC) by the Greek sculptor Praxiteles of Athens. He was one of the first sculptors to portray the female figure in the nude and was lauded as one of the most innovative sculptors of his time due to this. Praxiteles’s sculpture depicts Aphrodite holding a bath towel in her left hand covering her genitalia with her right hand, however, her breasts are still exposed.