Author	Sandro Botticelli
Technique	Tempera on canvas
Style	Renaissance
Dimensions	278,5 cm × 172,5 cm
Location	Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy

We have already analyzed several modern paintings, it’s time to change a bit and jump a few years back in the timeline of human history, now we are between XV and XVI century, in the Renaissance. A unique and wonderful period for art and science, where philosophy begins to gradually abandon dogmas and poetry gains popularity, a time where the present is revolutionized by making allusions and representations of the past.

Context

"The birth of Venus" or "La nascita di Venere" was painted in the High Renaissance between 1482 and 1485 by the Italian painter Sandro Botticelli. Together with "Primavera", another of his recognized works, was exhibited for the first time to the public in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence in 1815. The stylistic qualities that it has make it very distinctive but what it represented at the time was also very important.

It’s an iconic painting that maintains an important influence on contemporary art and culture. This work is famous for daring to break the barriers of censorship and prejudices of the time with the first full-body nude in over a millennium since the works of classical Greco-Roman art of around 400 BC. Thanks to the social power of the Medici family (those who commissioned the painting), the work was not censored by the church after it was completed.

Botticelli stood out for reviving the mythological interests of classical antiquity compared to other Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo, da Vinci and Raphael who, although they also considered the Greek and Roman works to be inspired, Christian iconography prevailed in their works. In addition, his paintings contained philosophical and humanistic meanings, his interest in the idealized beauty of human figures is remarkable.

It is believed that his inspiration to represent this scene came from the poem "La Giostra Estanza" by Angelo Poliziano, poet protected by Lorenzo de Medici, who in turn was inspired by Homeric hymns dedicated to the goddess.

The story described by Homer tells that Cronus, the god of time, cuts the genitals of his father Uranus and throws them into the sea, the rubbing of the foam with these begets Venus that is then transported by Zephyrus’ blowing to the shores of the island of Cyprus where she's carried by the Hours to the place of the Immortals.

Analysis

At first glance we see Venus, the goddess of love, in the center of the composition on a large shell (which refers to female fertility). Stands out her long and flowing hair, she uses it to cover her private parts while with her right arm tries to cover her breasts, her posture is not a coincidence since it is typical in the several Roman statues known as the Venus Pudica. The nakedness of Venus becomes modesty, which fills her with magnificence and gives her a heavenly touch.

The goddess is surrounded by other mythological characters, on her right we can see Zephyr, the god of the wind, with his wife Cloris, a nymph associated with flowers. Zephyr is in an inclined position and is strongly held by Cloris, is blowing strongly to help Venus to reach the mainland.

On the left we see a female figure that prepares to cover the naked body of Venus with a red robe with flowers, she represents the Hours, the goddesses of the seasons and nature, Poliziano in his texts mentions three Hours but Botticelli reduces them to one, the flowers that surround Venus indicate that the season is spring.

Lines predominate over color, Botticelli uses dark lines to reinforce the contours, as if it were a classic sculpture. This allows him to show his interest in the search for absolute beauty with the nude of Venus. The anatomical dimensions of the protagonist are exaggerated, her body is excessively elongated and her right forearm is very long compared to her arm.

Botticelli's self-portrait

The picture does not have much perspective, with the waves of the sea and the vegetation in the background gets a sense of limited depth. The light stands out in the central area of the painting, where Venus is located, and in the lower right corner the scene is much darker, while in the upper part the trees are illuminated from above.

On the color, the general tone is polychromatic, in the background the cold colors dominate and in the foreground the warm colors, giving a contrast is perceived harmonious and balanced.

The composition of this painting is pyramidal, the three elements of the first plane form a visual triangle, which generates a tension towards the central point of the image. The waving and majestic movement of the golden hair of Venus and the waves, respond to the painter's desire to perpetuate the moment of the most reliable form as described in the poem.

In essence, the painting is a mystical image that traps us and leaves us in a state of contemplation.

Curiosities

• It is generally believed that this work was commissioned by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de Médici in order to decorate the Villa di Castello in Florence. But recent studies show that "The Birth of Venus" was a request from another person for a different place. Therefore, the exact date of its composition is not known, nor for whom it was addressed.

• It is documented by Botticelli that Venus was interpreted by Simonetta Cattaneo, better known as «La bella Simonetta», a Florentine muse protected by the Medici. Both were installed in Castello, owned by the Medici.
  
  Images extracted from Wikipedia

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