¶ … preliminary analysis of a piece of art titled "The Birth of Venus." " Description

Artist: Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510)

Genre: history painting; Mythological

Medium: Tempera on canvas

Movement: art of the Early Renaissance

Location: Uffizi Gallery in Florence.

The Birth of Venus Analysis

The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli is an ingenious piece of art. It remains a great piece of art after 500 years since its creation. It is still one of the highest prized art masterpieces of all time. The difficulty in interpreting its meaning is, perhaps one of the reasons why the piece of art has been a subject of discussion among many analysts of works of art. The painting is a portrayal of a nude and relatively large female standing gracefully on a wide and big seashell. The female seems to show up on land, coming from the sea (The Birth of Venus). To the left of the central figure is a male angel tightly embracing a woman, suspended in the air. There is another woman in flowing garments to the right of the Venus. The woman on the right appears to be in awe of the arrival of the goddess. The painting evokes mixed feelings of heavenly beauty and longing. The image is nothing short of gorgeous. However, the piece of art stirs a pondering and marvel by critics and historians as to the exact import of that piece of art. The meaning of the Birth of Venus is still a mystery. Some observers point out that the painting was inspired by neo-Platonic ideas. The latter was a reinvention of the works of the great Greek philosopher. The reddish marks of blonde hair are a clear hallmark of the ravishing beauty that was donned in the female mystery now commonly referred to as Venus. The skin of this gorgeous creation is a little pale and she strikes observers with a demure stance. She is portrayed with a slightly angled neck as she shyly puts her hands over her genitals as a cover. The right hand is poised over her breasts.

Composition: Botticelli's crafting of the Birth of Venus is an astoundingly bright and treasured renaissance artwork. The goddess is popularly referred to as Aphrodite in Greek mythology studies and analysis. She comes from the sea on a shell linking the mythical tales to her birth. This shell of the Birth of Venus is floated to the show by wind gods that are pushing the winds amidst a shower of roses. Just before Venus arrives on the shore, there is a Nymph that leans over to cover her with a cloak (Birth of Venus -- artble.com). Venus comes out in this creation as a chaste goddess and one that is a symbol of imminent spring. The nudity aspect is significant too. This is so because most of the artwork that came about in this period was inspired by Christian themes; the idea of portraying women in their nude was unheard of. Many of the aspects relating to the birth of Venus are set in motion. The orange leaves in the background are blowing about. The hair ringlets seem to be blown by Zephyrs, and the roses are also seen floating in the background. The drapery of the accompanying figures are being blown by the wind. Venus by Botticelli is similar to Venus de Medici. This was a marble sculpture and inscription of gem from classical antiquities in the collection of Medici that Botticelli happened to have had a chance to study.

Color: Her golden hair forms a beautiful curly flow of elegance over her head, shoulders and all over her body. The ornamental use of gold could have been inspired by Donatello's Penitent Magdalen. Other techniques, which were prevalent during renaissance art (Era Birth of Venus / artble.com) can be seen in Botticelli's piece. Some of the techniques that can be observed in the piece of art under analysis is the illusion of light. The illusion creates a magnificent impression to the viewer. Botticelli added dark lines along the contours of the body of Venus. The effect is that the viewer can see the goddess's body more clearly against the background. Her milky skin is similarly further emphasized. The final effect makes Venus look as if her body is crafted out of marble. This aspect underscores the scupturesque attribute of her body. At the shoreline can be spotted a coloration of the goddess of natural order who gestures to Venus favourably. She also happens to don the colours used on the American Flag, i.e. red (mantle), blue (flowers) white (dress). Venus bears the face of Simonetta Vespucci,...

Vespucci is portrayed on a large shell as if to be cast across as a pearl; however, the purpose is to express the richness of pearls as known from ancient times as it was on the coast of the new world to be ferried back to Spanish land. more detailed accounts, that are just as potent if not more, will be explored in a larger thesis.
Objects: The painting is done in such a way that from the onset all attention is directed at Venus. All angels have their attention fixed at her. A beautiful female covers Venus with a majestic cape worthy of her queenly stature. She appears cute, gorgeous, and serene, all at once. She is centrally place standing on a shell that assumes the comfort of a couch. Therefore, from the onset, it is about Venus. Another marvel of the painting is the landscape in the background of the painting; it is bent and is described as almost naive (Jacquier, 2010). The horizon is not standing up while the waves blow and tumble on the sea. The background is almost make-believe. The characters captured in the painting are real; they could have even talked. The cape is presented on high ground, so that it cannot possibly be playing on a calm breeze. The folds are large and deeply placed: the garments are of heavy texture causing deep creases where it makes folds. There is an enigmatic dispensation that stretches out common sense beyond limit here and needs some explanation. Venus is seen to set foot on the browned point on the shell. Overall, it gives an abstract feeling that lacks in naturalistic, earthly reality.

Technique: Botticelli, through his Venus, happens to have been the first artist to present large scale canvass art in the Renaissance period in Florence. His preparation was not conventional; with his tempera pigments that he ensured had little fat covered with pure egg-white was unique in those times. The painting bears resemblance with frescoes, as it is bright and fresh. It has been preserved well to-date. Botticelli's line 'Birth of Venus' expounds the delicate-ness implied in the work (Birth of Venus -- artble.com). There is a great exaggeration in the proportions but the hair torrent and the long neck create a mystifying figure.

Size and Shape: The actual painting is about 6 feet but the whole framed painting measures 9 feet. The size is acceptable (Writer Thoughts). In my view, the size and height have no effect on the overall message or meaning of the painting.

Symbolism

There is a layered symbolism embedded in the painting. The varied symbolism had to be demystified by historians (Analysis: Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus"). The next step was to correlate the decoded information with the forces and circumstances of the time; which reveals an important event; the birth of a New World. Indeed, the Birth of Venus was designed to celebrate the arrival of Christopher Columbus on the shores of America in advance. There is a heap of evidence to supporting the supposition. Some aspects of the narrative have to be proven, though. For instance, we have not proved that it is Pope Innocent VIII who commissioned the Botticelli painting and that he died shortly before the arrival of Columbus' arrival on the shores of America in 1492. The painting is rumoured to have been done in honour of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to acknowledge and immortalize their support, i.e. the finances to foot the bill for the trip by Columbus who was set to formally discover the Americas (Analysis: Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus).

The King and Queen were portrayed in the painting as the mythical gods Zephyr and Chloris moving Venus in St. Mary's name and were further reflected in Santa Maria (with the sails bearing templar crosses)- the ship that Columbus used successfully anchoring on the distant shores.

Conclusion

Botticelli's painting is a clear departure from the contemporary Christian themes, and employs the renaissance ideas and pursues a mythical line, i.e. the Birth of Venus. Although the artistic skills of classical poets were recognized through the middle ages, the Renaissance period saw the Italians make a concerted effort to retrieve the former glory of Rome. Hence, classical myths became popular and widespread among the elites (Birth of Venus -- artble.com). The successful magnificence of Venus is demonstrated in various ways. Historians of art are conversant with the fact that the Birth of Venus…