Sandro Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus was privately commissioned by the Medici family in 1482 in Florence, Italy. The Medici’s were an extremely powerful family whose influence made Florence the cultural center of the world and whose patronage of artists such as Botticelli, Michelangelo, and Raphael gave fruit to some of the most beautiful and influential works of art, which still inspire the world today.

This painting was likely meant as a metaphor representing beauty as a neo-platonic ideal. Perfect beauty was to be experienced in thought and then through art but it was not to be encountered here on earth. This quest for beauty was considered a spiritual pursuit that would ultimately lead to God. This message would have appealed to the Medici’s, who were the founders of the Platonic Academy of Philosophy, as they were significant figures in the rebirth of Humanism.

The theme of the painting is based upon Greek mythology, indicating the impact of humanist thought which pulled away from the prevalent Roman Catholic influence. Humanism allowed a widening of the borders of what was acceptable in political, economical and cultural spheres but still many similar themed works of art were destroyed for their pagan content. The Birth of Venus’s preservation is a sign of the Medici’s power and influence even as far as the papacy.

The painting itself is very stylized. It represents a Greek myth in which Venus, the Classical goddess of love and beauty, is born under rather brutal circumstances. The background of the story is necessary in order to appreciate the meaning of the scene portrayed. Uranus, a Titan, in Greek myth was murdered by Zeus, the king of the gods, through castration; when his genitals fell and mixed with the foam of the sea, Venus was conceived, and The Birth of Venus comes to life.

The painting depicts the next stage in the story where Venus stands, altogether emerged from the sea and fully-grown upon a half shell and in perfect, neo-platonic beauty. The Winds, Zephyr and Aura, blow Venus toward shore upon her shell where one of the Graces (or Horae, one of three goddesses of the seasons) awaits ready to cover her in a beautiful strip of material. The effect of the Humanist philosophy is apparent with the focus on Venus’ body and her almost too perfect beauty, elongated features and seamless grace. In the background a landscape of waves and shoreline with many orange trees are simply painted.

I was able to see The Birth of Venice first hand several years ago at the Uffizi in Florence. The first detail of the painting, which caught, more demanded my attention, was its size, as it is rather large with dimensions of 172.5 cm by 278.5 cm. The second detail was the colors as they are significantly brighter in person than in any images of the painting I have seen in books or on the Internet. They are incredibly bright and striking.

The main focus is Venus, standing delicately in the center of the canvas on her half shell completely nude but modestly posing with the two Winds to her right, beautifully entwined with each other, blowing visible wind and flowers in her direction causing her hair to swirl about her body in beautiful motion. Other effects which reveal motion are the leaves of the orange trees on shore, the waves around Venus and the clothes of the Horae, which swirl about her as she awaits her chance to clothe the approaching Venus.

This painting is one of my favorites not only of the Renaissance era but also of all time for it translates beauty to me on many levels. The content itself is lovely with its imagery and beautiful story telling. Also, the style of painting is stunning with the effect of grace and movement visible throughout. The colors themselves entrance and seduce, inducing the same effect I experience while listening to Beethoven’s Seventh Symphony. I suppose, upon danger of sounding overly sentimental, The Birth of Venus is a symphony I experience through my eyes.

Sources:

1.The Birth of Venus (Botticelli). Retrieved on June 10th, 2009 from Wikipedia : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_Venus_(Botticelli).

2.Botticelli’s Birth of Venus. Harris, B, Laird, C. Retrieved on June 8th, 2009 from SmartHistory : http://www.smarthistory.org/Botticelli.html.