Why was The Birth of Venus commissioned?
The main source to properly decode Botticelli's The Birth of Venus painting according to many art historians is to be found in the Neoplatonic interpretations, which claim that Botticelli wanted to represent the Neoplatonic idea and meaning of divine love in the form of a nude Venus.
What family commissioned The Birth of Venus?
the Medici familyIt is believed that a member of the Medici family commissioned Botticelli to paint The Birth of Venus. Specifically, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de Medici, who was a banker and politician and the cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent, or Lorenzo il Magnifico.
Who commissioned Botticelli Venus and Mars?
The Medici familyThe Medici family, who commissioned many of Botticelli's most famous works, were used as models in this painting, the youngest Giuliano di Piero de Medici modeling for the sleeping Mars. Venus and Mars (or Mars and Venus) is a panel painting of about 1485 by the Italian Renaissance painter Sandro Botticelli.
How much is the Mona Lisa worth?
On permanent display at the Louvre in Paris, the Mona Lisa was assessed at US$100 million on December 14, 1962. Taking inflation into account, the 1962 value would be around US$900 million in 2021.
Are Venus and Aphrodite the same?
In Roman mythology, Venus was the goddess of love, sex, beauty, and fertility. She was the Roman counterpart to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. However, Roman Venus had many abilities beyond the Greek Aphrodite; she was a goddess of victory, fertility, and even prostitution.
Was Botticelli's Venus and Mars burned?
While Medici: The Magnificent has Venus and Mars destroyed in the finale of the first part of the series, the painting actually still exists and is owned by the National Gallery of London. It was painted around 1485, which was after the deaths of Vespucci in 1476 and Giuliano in 1478.
Who is the son of Venus and Mars?
CupidIn some Latin mythology, Cupid was the son of Venus and Mars, the god of war.
Who painted Venus and Mars?
Sandro BotticelliMars and Venus / ArtistAlessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, known as Sandro Botticelli, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century, when he was rediscovered by the Pre-Raphaelites who stimulated a reappraisal of his work. Wikipedia
Who are the gods in the birth of Venus?
She is believed to be either Horae, the Goddess of seasons, or Hora, the Goddess of Spring. She is rushing to Venus with a beautiful floral cloak to cover her nakedness. The Goddess has a weightless, graceful beauty. The flowers on her dress symbolise birth and the myrtle around her neck symbolises Venus.
How was Venus born?
The story goes that the God Uranus had a son named Cronus who overthrew his father, castrating him and throwing his genitals into the sea. This caused the water to be fertilised, and Venus was born. After her birth she came ashore on a shell, pushed along by the breath of Zephyrus, the god of the west wind.
What is Venus the goddess of?
Venus, ancient Italian goddess associated with cultivated fields and gardens and later identified by the Romans with the Greek goddess of love, Aphrodite.
What is Botticelli most known for?
At the height of his fame, the Florentine painter and draughtsman Sandro Botticelli was one of the most esteemed artists in Italy. His graceful pictures of the Madonna and Child, his altarpieces and his life-size mythological paintings, such as 'Venus and Mars', were immensely popular in his lifetime.
Who Was Alessandro Botticelli?
Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, or just Sandro, Botticelli was born in Florence in Borgo Ognissanti. He was born between 1444 and 1446 and...
Who Was Venus?
Not only was The Birth of Venus by Botticelli a magnificent canvas showcasing a mythological scene and fit for a country villa, but it also showcas...
Who Painted The Birth of Venus?
The Birth of Venus (c. 1484 to 1486) painting was made by Alessandro Botticelli, who was an artist from the Early Renaissance period in Italy. Alth...
When Was The Birth of Venus Painted?
The Birth of Venus was painted around 1484 to 1486. This was during the Early Renaissance period in Italy, a period that spanned the 1400s. It was...
Where Is The Birth of Venus?
Presently, The Birth of Venus (c. 1484 to 1486) painting is housed at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. It is believed that the painting was r...
Where Was The Birth of Venus Painted?
It is believed that after Sandro Botticelli worked on frescoes for the Sistine Chapel in Rome in 1481, he returned to his city of birth, Florence,...
What is the birth of Venus?
Like the Primavera, the Birth of Venus is also associated with the concept of Humanitas,or virtuous Humanity, a theory developed by Marsilio Ficino in a letter to the young Lorenzo. According to the interpretation by Ernst Gombrich, the work depicts the symbolic fusion of Spirit and Matter, the harmonious interaction of Idea and Nature. Nevertheless, the interpretations of this painting of extraordinary visual impact are numerous and diverse. The divine ethereal figure has been viewed as an allegorical representation of Humanitas upon her arrival to Florence, while the nymph holding out the cloak of flowers for the goddess may perhaps be identified as Flora, the same depicted in this masterpiece’s “twin”, the Primavera, where she may be seen instead as the personification of the city of Florence. From this work emerges clear evidence of Botticell’s strive to reach perfection of form that could rival with classical antiquity. It is for this reason that the humanist Ugolino Verino in his work Epigrammata, presented in 1485 to the King of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, likened the Florentine painter to the legendary Apelles of Ancient Greece.
What is the birth of Venus painted on?
Like Botticelli’s other masterpiece, Pallas and the Centaur, the Birth of Venus is painted on canvas - fairly unusual for its time - using a technique of thin tempera, based on the use of diluted egg yolk, ...
What type of goddess is Venus?
The Venus of the Uffizi is of the “Venus pudica” type, whose right breast is covered by her right hand and billowing long blond hair partially shrouds her body. The goddess stands upright on a shell as she is driven towards the shore by the breeze of Zephyrus, a wind god, who is holding the nymph, Chloris.
When was the Venus painting painted?
This universal icon of Western painting was probably painted around 1484 for the villa of Castello owned by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de 'Medici. Giorgio Vasari saw the work there in the mid-sixteenth century – along with Botticelli’s other well-known Primavera – and described it precisely as "showing the Birth of Venus.".
Who was the king of Hungary who likened the Florentine painter to the legendary Apelles of?
It is for this reason that the humanist Ugolino Verino in his work Epigrammata, presented in 1485 to the King of Hungary, Matthias Corvinus, likened the Florentine painter to the legendary Apelles of Ancient Greece.
Who painted the painting of Lorenzo the Magnificent?
The painting was commissioned by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’Medici, a cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent. The theme was probably suggested by the humanist Poliziano.
What was the birth of Venus?
The Birth of Venus painting was created during the 1400s, which was a period in European history that saw a lot of cultural and economic changes. Notable changes that took place during this time included the ending of feudalism, which changed the European economic and social landscape. This was a transitionary period from the Middle Ages ( Medieval period) and art styles progressed from Byzantine to Romanesque and then Gothic.
When was Venus born?
A detail of Venus from Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus, c. 1485; Sandro Botticelli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
What is Venus' hair color?
Venus is depicted as the embodiment of beauty; her skin is smooth and milky in color without any blemish. Her hair is also golden and hangs almost the full length of her body. This hairstyle is also reported to have been inspired by women’s hairstyles of the time Botticelli lived.
What technique did Botticelli use to paint?
Botticelli used the tempera painting technique, which consists of combining color pigments with a water-soluble medium diluted with a binding medium, which was usually egg yolk. This was different from fresco paintings; however, many sources indicate that this painting has the “freshness” of a fresco. It has been well-preserved over the centuries.
When did Botticelli paint Venus?
It was here that Botticelli was commissioned to paint The Birth of Venus, which was from 1484 to 1486.
How is Venus portrayed?
The figure of Venus is also portrayed with exaggerated anatomy, overall, her body is quite elongated. We see this elongation emphasized in her neck and in the depiction of her arms, mostly her left (our right) arm covering her genitalia with her hair.
How big is the painting of the Primavera?
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.
WHAT IS THE STORY BEHIND THE BIRTH OF VENUS?
The swelling breath of Zephyrus conveyed Aphrodite, the fair with the golden wreath, emerging from the fertile foam on the waves of the turbulent sea.
THE BIRTH OF VENUS ANALYSIS
This incredible mythological composition illustrates the figure of the bare naked goddess of love, beauty, and fertility, Venus arising from the shell floating to Cyprus shore in the Birth of Venus painting.
NON-RELIGIOUS NUDE VENUS!
A linear perspective painting draws the viewer’s eyes to the focal point, clearly Venus. In her facial expression, Venus carries peacefulness, and her appearance is intended to be delicate and divine, unlike mostly her portrayals, which are erotic.
BOTTICELLI IS ONE OF THE PIONEERS OF THE RENAISSANCE
While European art is fed from Christianity on a large scale and the life and teachings of Jesus, there is a rediscovery of the ancient world when it comes to the Renaissance. For this reason, during Renaissance, we begin to see elements belonging to the pre-Christian period, namely the pagan period, in the paintings.
WHO IS THE GIRL IN THE BIRTH OF VENUS?
Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, also known as La Bella Simonetta, is the model painted as Venus by Boticelli. Simonetta was a noblewoman whose beauty became legendary in Florence from Genoa. The young woman’s presence lasted so striking and yet so fleeting in Florence. Tuberculosis might be the reason for her death.
WHO COMMISSIONED THE BIRTH OF VENUS PAINTING?
The painting was most likely commissioned by a member of the wealthy Medici family, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de Medici for his villa at Castello near Florence. In Renaissance Italy, mythological scenes were usually commissioned to decorate wooden furniture such as wedding chests.
Who created the birth of Venus?
The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli was commissioned during the Renaissance period between the years 1403-1485 by Pierfrancesco de’Medici, who was part of the influential Medici family. This work portrays an accurate expression of the Birth of Venus as she emerges from the foam of the sea on a shell blown to shore to one ...
When was the birth of Venus finished?
The final version of the Birth of Venus overlaps with the commission of Cabanel’s piece, being finished in 1879 .
What is the admiration for Venus?
The admiration for the Birth of Venus is one that rises and falls like the tides, but like the sea which Aphrodite was born, artists have always found a fascinating with the birth of the beautiful goddess. —. Sources: https://www.cnn.com/style/article/most-famous-paintings/index.html.
Which of Botticelli's paintings is the most famous?
When asked, many recognize Botticelli’s piece to be “the most iconic” of the three. The birth of Venus by Sa ndro Botticelli is by far one of the most widely recognized art pieces in history and is ranked in the top ten most famous paintings in the world. The Birth of Venus by Alexandre Cabenel is by far a softer and lower-key piece.
Who painted Venus?
There have also been several painted pieces depicting the goddess, three of the most famous versions of the painted Birth of Venus come from the artists Sandro Botticelli, Alexandre Cabanel, and William Adolphe-Bouguereau.
Who is the center of attention in the painting Venus?
The painting like those before depicts Venus in the middle as the center of attention–much like Botticelli’s piece. Venus is adored by many looking upon her except they appear to be more like Nymphs rather than actual minor gods such as the Horai and the Wind.
When is Venus' birth?
The Birth of Venus. by Laudan Payne May 23, 2020. May 23, 2020. And there, bubbling in the shimmery blue waters of the cytheran sea, there arose a young woman, with twirling red hair and beauty unparalleled by any other.
