The born of Venus (Born of Venere, in Italian) is a work by the Renaissance artist Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510).
Produced between 1484 and 1486, it is one of the most emblematic paintings of the Italian Renaissance.
At the time, it was commissioned by a wealthy Italian banker and politician: Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco. His idea was to decorate his house with beautiful paintings.
Currently, the work is exhibited at the Galleria degli Uffizi, in Florence, Italy. It remains one of the most famous in the world and has numerous reproductions.
Beside The Allegory of Spring, The born of Venus it is one of the most outstanding works of the Florentine painter.
Main features
Characterized as a Neoplatonic work, Botticelli used the technique of tempering on wood. The dimensions of the frame are 172.5 cm by 278.5 cm.
Inspired by Roman mythology, Venus appears naked in the center of the painting on a large shell, which in turn is resting on the sea water. Notice that Venus is bathed in light extolling the purity of the goddess' soul.
Through well-delineated and finely refined lines we can see the search for classic and ideal beauty.
Sandro's work brings together aspects of the goddess's perfect and divine beauty. Here it becomes a symbol of purity and renewal. Although she is naked, the eroticism is left aside, to make way for a prudish figure.
In her face we notice tenderness and a certain serenity. Her long orange hair is held by her left hand that slides over her body and ends up covering her private parts. Her right hand covers her breasts.
On her left side (right in figure), we have the presence of a woman holding a flower-print robe and who is about to cover the goddess. She represents the goddess Flora, related to spring and everything that blooms.
On the right side of Venus (left of the painting) we have supposedly two figures flying and lightly covered by fabrics that demonstrate these movements.
Also inspired by Roman mythology is the winged god Zephyrus, personification of the West wind, holding the nymph Cloris sweetly. As he blows in order to push the goddess to the water's edge, several flowers surround the couple.
The richness of details, the use of light colors, the harmony of shapes, the delicacy of movements, the serenity in the eyes and the allusion to the myth of Venus are the main characteristics in the work of Botticelli.
Curiosity
In Roman mythology Venus represents the Goddess of love, beauty and fertility. Woman of Vulcan, the God of Fire, she was born from the waves of the sea on the island of Cyprus. Her counterpart in Greek mythology is the Goddess Aphrodite.
Read too:
- Sandro Botticelli
- Renaissance Artists
- artistic renaissance