The Birth Of Venus

This masterpiece by Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi popularly known as Botticelli, is one of the most legendary paintings in European art. Painted on a canvas at the time when wood panels were relatively expensive, the choice of material reveals that this piece was meant for a private collection. The artist had used tempera pigments which were difficult to blend yet gave supple and translucent luminosity. This painting is believed to be patronized by Lorenzo Medici The Magnificent - a man of significant political affluence and a prominent patron of renaissance. Born into the wealthy Medici dynasty that controlled Florence during the renaissance, this piece is believed to be a present for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de 'Medici; the former's cousin; housed at the villa of Castello at the time. Everything about this piece is revolutionary. With its theme sourcing its inspiration from Ovid's and Homer's works at the time when deeply religious paintings were relatively culturally significant, Botticelli's reveal of the Birth of Venus shook the ground. With its focus on a combination mythology and humanist aspects that were being revived in the fifteenth century, this scene depicted Venus as the primary figure in all her nude glory. The nudity too here, was a point of deflection from the acceptable societal norm. A symbol of shame was now transformed into that of beauty, grace, and fertility. Furthermore, this piece is now thought to be depicting not Venus's birth but her arrival on the island of Cyprus. Her arrival signals the blossoming of barren land - conveyed by the falling roses and flourishing trees in the foreground albeit the desolate steppe in the background. All four figures are painted in the same pictorial plane without any shadows. This conveys the dreamlike imagination Botticelli wanted to express through this painting - a scene of enterprise than of history. On the left we see Zephyrus, the wind god; moving Venus to the shore by blowing a warm breeze. He intimately holds his wife and nymph Chloris who is blowing gentle breaths from her mouth. On the right, we are presented with the sight of Horae of Spring, her robes decorated with spring flowers. Her bellowing hair indicates the coming of spring. Her arms are outstretched holding a flora studded cloak to cover Venus and take her into shelter. The central figure Venus is painted with the delicacy and luminosity comparable to light and nature itself. She has a soft, supple, and an elongated body with golden locks. Her left hand covers her breasts and her right hand conceals her sex. Her body is outlined with thin lines to mark the contrast between her pale skin and the light background. Botticelli's earlier prowess as a goldsmith is clearly reflected in his use of gold highlights throughout this painting. Despite her nudity, Venus is not seen as a figure arousing eroticism but rather a sense of innocence and becoming. This painting is a celebration of fertility, beauty, and a brave combination of the ancient and modern ideas.