The Birth of Venus (Botticelli)
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| Image:Botticelli Venus.jpg |
| The Birth of Venus |
| Sandro Botticelli, c. 1482–1486 |
| tempera on canvas |
| 172.5 × 278.5 cm, 67.9 × 109.6 in |
| Uffizi, Florence |
The Birth of Venus is a painting by Sandro Botticelli. It depicts the goddess Venus, having emerged from the sea as a full grown woman, arriving at the sea-shore (Venus Anadyomene motif). The painting is currently in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
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[edit] Origins
This large picture by Botticelli may have been, like the Primavera, painted for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici's Villa di Castello, around 1482, or even before. Some scholars suggest that the Venus painted for Lorenzo and mentioned by Giorgio Vasari may have been a different work, now lost. Some experts believe it to be a celebration of the love of Giuliano di Piero de' Medici (who died in the Pazzi conspiracy in 1478) for Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, who lived in Portovenere, a town by the sea with a local tradition of being the birthplace of Venus. It must be noted that Botticelli himself also privately loved the beautiful Simonetta, who was de' Medici's mistress. Whatever inspired the artist, there are clear similarities to Ovid's Metamorphoses and Fasti, as well as to Poliziano's Verses. Simonetta is also believed to have been the model for Venus in this painting, as well as for several other women in other Botticelli works, such as Primavera.
The classical goddess Venus emerges from the water on a shell, blown towards shore by the Zephyrs, symbols of spiritual passions. She is joined by one of the Horae, goddesses of the seasons, who hands her a flowered cloak.
The effect is distinctly pagan, considering it was made at a time and place when most artworks depicted Roman Catholic themes. It is somewhat surprising that this canvas escaped the flames of Savonarola's bonfires, where a number of Botticelli's other alleged pagan influenced works perished. Botticelli was very close to Lorenzo de Medici. Because of their friendship and Lorenzo's power, this work was spared from Savonarola's fires and the disapproval of the church.
The anatomy of Venus and various subsidiary details do not display the strict classical realism of Leonardo da Vinci or Raphael. Most obviously, Venus has an improbably long neck, and her left shoulder slopes at an anatomically unlikely angle. Such details only enhance the great beauty of the painting, and some have suggested it prefigures mannerism.
[edit] Classical inspiration
The painting was one of a series which Botticelli produced, taking as inspiration written descriptions by the 2nd century historian Lucian of masterpieces of Ancient Greece which had long since disappeared. The ancient painting by Apelles was called Venus Anadyomene, "Anadyomene" meaning "rising from the sea"; this title was also used for Botticelli's painting, The Birth of Venus only becoming its better known title in the 19th century. 'The Birth of Venus' is very similar to Praxiteles' Aphrodite, a statue.
A mural from Pompeii was never seen by Botticelli, but may have been a Roman copy of the then famous painting by Apelles which Lucian mentioned.
In classical antiquity, the sea shell was a metaphor for a woman's vulva.
The pose of Botticelli's Venus is reminiscent of the Venus de Medici, a marble sculpture from classical antiquity in the Medici collection which Botticelli had opportunity to study.
[edit] In popular culture
Reproductions and variations on Botticelli's famous painting have been numerous in popular culture, including in advertising and motion pictures. Notable examples include:
- The scene was recreated in detail in the 1988 film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, with Uma Thurman as Venus.
- The "Kilgore Trout" novel Venus on the Half-Shell is titled from a jocular nickname for the painting.
- Adobe Illustrator used a stylized representation of the painting in its splash screen through version 10.
- In the 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony, Eva Herzigová appears as Venus from a shell.
[edit] External links
- The Medici Venus - Greek statue, template for Botticelli's Venus
Botticelli | ||
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| Works | Madonna and Child with an Angel (Botticelli) · Madonna and Child with an Angel · Madonna della Loggia · The Virgin and Child with Two Angels and the Young St. John the Baptist · The Annunciation · The Virgin and Child, St. John and an Angel Adoration of the Magi · Portrait of a Young Man · Madonna in Glory with Seraphim · Madonna of the Sea · Madonna of the Rosegarden (Madonna del Roseto) · Madonna and Child and Two Angels · Portrait of Esmeralda Brandini · Fortitude · Madonna and Child with Six Saints (Sant'Ambrogio Altarpiece) · Madonna and Child with an Angel · The Return of Judith to Bethulia · The Discovery of the Murder of Holofernes · Adoration of the Magi · Portrait of a Young Woman · Adoration of the Magi · St. Sebastian · Portrait of a Man with a Medal of Cosimo the Elder · Portrait of Giuliano de' Medici · Madonna and Child · Catherine of Alexandria · Nativity · Portrait of Giuliano de' Medici · The Birth of Christ · Portrait of Giuliano de' Medici · Madonna and Child with Eight Angels · St. Augustine · Madonna of the Magnificat (Madonna del Magnificat) · Madonna of the Book (Madonna del Libro) · Portrait of a Young Woman · Portrait of a Young Woman · Annunciation · St. Sixtus II · Adoration of the Magi · Pallas and the Centaur · Venus and Mars · Portrait of a Young Man · Portrait of a Young Man · The Story of Nastagio degli Onesti · The Virgin and Child Enthroned (Bardi Altarpiece) · The Birth of Venus · Annunciation · Madonna Adoring the Child with Five Angels · Madonna of the Pomegranate (Madonna della Melagrana) · The Virgin and Child with Four Angels and Six Saints (Pala di San Barnaba) · Vision of St. Augustine · Christ in the Sepulcre · Salome with the Head of St. John the Baptist · Extraction of St. Ignatius' Heart · Cestello Annunciation · The Virgin Adoring the Child · Lamentation over the Dead Christ · Portrait of a Man · San Marco Altarpiece · St. Augustine in His Cell · Madonna and Child and the Young St John the Baptist · Portrait of Lorenzo di Ser Piero Lorenzi · The Virgin and Child with the Infant St. John the Baptist · Holy Trinity (Pala delle Convertite) · The Virgin and Child with Three Angels (Madonna del Padiglione) · Calumny of Apelles · Lamentation over the Dead Christ with Saints · Last Communion of St. Jerome · Portrait of Dante · The Story of Virginia · The Story of Lucretia · Crucifixion · Christ Crowned with Thorns · Transfiguration, St Jerome, St Augustine · Judith Leaving the Tent of Holofernes · Agony in the Garden · The Mystical Nativity · Baptism of St. Zenobius and His Appointment as Bishop · Three Miracles of St. Zenobius · Three Miracles of St. Zenobius · Last Miracle and the Death of St. Zenobius | Image:Sandro Botticelli 083.jpg |
el:Η Γέννηση της Αφροδίτης (Μποτιτσέλι) es:El nacimiento de Venus fr:La Naissance de Vénus (Botticelli) it:Nascita di Venere he:הולדת ונוס nl:De Geboorte van Venus (Sandro Botticelli) ja:ヴィーナスの誕生 pl:Narodziny Wenus ru:Рождение Венеры (картина Боттичелли) pt:O Nascimento de Vênus simple:The Birth of Venus (Botticelli) sk:Zrodenie Venuše
