Renaissance Art Reflection the Birth and Evolution

Renaissance Art Reflection

The Birth and Evolution of Beauty

Perspectives on form and beauty have changed over the span of hundreds of years, from unrealistic expectations in anatomy to that of more lifelike depictions. Of course, no story on beauty can ever be told without the use of Venus and the changes she undergoes throughout the years during the Renaissance. Botticelli gave Venus life, Bronzino beatified her to a goddess-like pedestal, and Cambiaso shadowed her in humanity. It is through these artists' eyes that one can see the progression of beauty throughout the Renaissance years.

Earlier Renaissance artists sought to epitomize and define beauty as "an order or arrangement such that nothing can be altered except for the worse" (Haughton, N.). While the movement brought along by the Renaissance certainly aimed to focus toward a realistic depiction of beauty, this was not always so defined during Botticelli's time. If one looked at Botticelli's The Birth of Venus (c. 1485), one can clearly see that her beauty is greatly exaggerated. R. Hughes states that "[the] great Italian Renaissance portraits of women were dream images"; in Botticelli's case, this seems to be true. Venus is far removed from reality. Golden-haired Venus has an elegant neck that seems far too long, and her posture over her shell lacks a careful application of perspective (see how Venus's foot is positioned on the shell -- a natural impossibility). Botticelli's painting was in no way an essence of naturalism, but rather, a depiction of what was considered at his time the Renaissance ideal: that of the impeccably unreachable goddess of beauty.

The later years pushed Renaissance artists into exploration of anatomy, furthering the envelope of perspective. Where Botticelli idealized Venus and the notion of beauty, artists such as Bronzino and Cambiaso brought about a much more naturalistic aspect to their art. In Bronzino's Venus, Cupid and Time (1540-45), one sees a more naturalistic use of shadows, color, and perspective, which depict the progressing artwork of the Renaissance. Bronzino's Venus portrays a seductive pose, with a more anatomical correctness as opposed to Botticelli's Venus. Bronzino played with a huge array of colors, with detailed brushwork in the style of the High Renaissance (Lakeside Publishing Group).

Likewise, Luca Cambiaso's Venus and Adonis (1565-69) further treats Venus in a more realistic light. The scenery is not as outrageously colored as that of Botticelli and, in fact, focuses on the conveyance of the subjects' actions. Cambiaso's piece not only tries to capture Venus' beauty, but also the beauty of her emotions as she embraces Adonis in her arms. Cambiaso focuses on the light and dark, the chiaroscuro of the painting. The shadows on Venus' figure help capture her posture. Similar to Bronzino's style, Cambiaso pays homage to the natural anatomy of an actual woman, allowing this idea of beauty to be attainable -- though many will not forget that the painting is a depiction of the goddess Venus.