Botticelli's Birth of Venus: Renaissance Art Analysis

Introduction: Botticelli and the Italian Renaissance

The Italian Renaissance gave birth to a great number of debates concerning art and philosophy. It was during this movement that artists came to triumph over traditional convictions as they employed revolutionary ideas. Painters were typically employed by influential individuals with the purpose of completing various artworks.

The House of de' Medici most probably—though there is no definitive evidence to confirm this—hired Sandro Botticelli sometime around 1485, assigning him the task of painting The Birth of Venus. Despite the limited information regarding its origins, the painting has triggered a wave of popularity, with numerous individuals using it as inspiration across many fields.

Botticelli was accustomed to painting portraits and works related to mythology or religion as a result of his relationship with the de' Medici family. Given that the Renaissance was thriving toward the end of the fifteenth century, it is not surprising that artists were inclined to draw on ideas from the ancient past. Ancient art and mythology represented two of the most frequent elements Renaissance artists employed. Roman beauty influenced Italian artists to pursue art at a whole new level—one that involved an attempt to reach perfection through some of the most exquisite works ever produced. Classicality and ideals of perfection motivated painters like Botticelli to dedicate themselves completely to their craft. Even though Botticelli received insufficient attention in the centuries following his death, matters changed in recent decades, as he has come to be recognized as a leading Renaissance painter (Singleton 20).

Botticelli wanted his painting of Venus's birth to be unlike anything viewers had seen before, a fact evident in the colors and techniques he used. Despite his use of tempera, the illustration is comparable with some of the most superb oil paintings produced after his time. Although it was slightly affected by the passage of time, the painting has essentially remained intact, highlighting the artist's remarkable skill.

The style Botticelli introduced at the end of the fifteenth century was more than groundbreaking. While most of his contemporaries devoted a great deal of time to studying concepts that were relatively outdated for the period, he was reluctant to confine himself to purely religious and naturalist illustrations. As one scholar observes, "He sought inspiration in what to him were the works of the modern world, the writings of Dante and Boccaccio, and in new readings of his own on classical stories; or if he painted religious subjects, painted them with an undercurrent of original sentiment which touches you as the real matter of the picture through the veil of its ostensible subject" (Singleton 20). Botticelli's personal life is largely unknown, likely a result of his conservative nature. Life outside his workshop was uneventful, and painting appears to have been his sole means of breaking away from tradition (Singleton 21).

Medici Patronage and the Context of the Commission

One of the main reasons The Birth of Venus is often associated with the de' Medici house is that, along with Botticelli's Primavera, the painting was recorded in the country residence of Italy's most influential family at Castello sometime around the early sixteenth century. Based on this, most scholars have concluded that both paintings were created for Lorenzo de' Medici (the Magnificent). It therefore seems reasonable to consider the de' Medici family as the original patron of this painting. Even so, the specific individual who commissioned Botticelli remains unknown; what is clear is that the artwork was intended to hang in a country villa, as its content appears to have been considered too provocative for a more public setting in sixteenth-century Italy.

De' Medici residences in large cities were typically decorated with paintings on wood, whereas canvas paintings—which were cheaper—could be found in a number of country villas. People in rural areas paid less attention to ornamental elements and to the quality with which they were executed. De' Medici city palaces were places of opulent display, while the countryside houses primarily served as refuges from the noise and activity of urban life.

Paintings such as The Birth of Venus were placed in country residences not only because they were less expensive, but also because they perfectly suited the landscape and character of the countryside. As one account notes, "We know from contemporary accounts, for example, that the paintings hanging over the doors of the main rooms in the Medici country villa depicted landscapes with animals, women bathing, singers, and people dancing, bathed in the sunlight" (Deimling 52).

Botticelli's works made him one of the most respected painters of his generation, particularly because "he received commissions from extremely prominent families in Florence, as well as an important commission from the Pope, and was known by art patrons throughout Italy" (ed. Michel-Andre Bossy, Thomas Brothers, and John C. McEnroe 26). According to history, Lorenzo de' Medici was actually responsible for devising the painting's theme, which was "set to verse by his favorite humanist, Ange Poliziano, interpreted by the tiny genius, Pico della Mirandola, approved by the patriarch, Marsilio Ficino, and the notebook was wrapped up for delivery to Botticelli. It went from Lorenzo the Magnificent to all of Florence's humanism of this second half of the 15th century to finally be given to Botticelli, who thus scrupulously followed a text: the profane Birth of Venus and the coronation of the sacred Venus" (Analysis: The Birth of Venus).

In his attempt to reproduce the scene of Venus's birth as he imagined it, Botticelli painted the goddess as she emerged from the water, standing inside a shell that appears to have been blown toward the shore by Zephyr (the god of winds) and Aura (the breeze). Because she is naked, the goddess is welcomed by Horae—the goddess of seasons—who extends to her a piece of flowered material.

Iconography and Composition of The Birth of Venus

The painting is particularly significant as a Renaissance artwork because its theme bears no connection to Christianity. Italian painters of the period were devoted to conveying religious concepts through their works, sometimes doing so even when their subjects were ostensibly secular. By contrast, Botticelli chose a pagan goddess as his subject and, moreover, represented her nude—a choice that was almost impossible for many of his contemporaries to accept. Italian society did not condemn Botticelli's endeavor for several reasons. One of the most probable is that his connection with the de' Medici family offered him a degree of protection. Another possible explanation is that the Renaissance movement was gaining more and more followers among the Italian public (ed. Michel-Andre Bossy, Thomas Brothers, and John C. McEnroe 26).

The painting's subject derives from the mythological legend of Venus's birth. The Roman goddess of love reportedly emerged from the sea as a result of foam that formed around the severed genitals of Uranus, cast into the water by his son Cronus in an act of revenge against his cruel father (Deimling 52).

Whereas the painting's title refers to the actual birth of the goddess, the painting itself seems to depict something different. Rather than showing Venus as she comes into existence, the composition shows her as she reaches the shores of Cythera Island. Botticelli apparently drew from Homeric writings in his attempt to represent Venus's first encounter with human-inhabited lands. Zephyrus and Aura are clearly exerting great effort to push Venus's shell toward the shore. The flowers falling from the sky were also taken from the legend, since flowers and spring are associated with Venus's birth (Deimling 52). Given that the Horae's robe is decorated with spring flowers, it is reasonable to identify her as a goddess of spring (Deimling 52).

Botticelli focused on emphasizing the painting's contours with a dark outline, making the figures contrast sharply with the rest of the composition. This technique simultaneously clarifies the forms and gives the painting a detached, sculptural quality.

One can consider Venus's figure in Botticelli's painting to be somewhat similar to an ancient statue, with the brightness of her skin resembling that of marble. The resemblance becomes even clearer when compared to the Venus Pudica, whose pose is quite similar. The goddess's pale skin is not necessarily meant to evoke innocence; rather, its pallor gives viewers a sense that she is cold, even lifeless.

In wanting to paint The Birth of Venus, Botticelli detached himself from his previous conceptions and from the way he had previously communicated ideas. He did not want Venus's nakedness to express vulgarity; he simply wanted it to be perceived as a form of beauty. The sexuality present in the painting is more than physical—its purpose is spiritual (Argan 32).