What is being portrayed?

Question

I am doing a history research project, and I've becomed stumped. What exactly is being portrayed in Botticelli's the Birth of Venus????

Answer 1

As the title suggests, the Birth of Venus represents the moment when the goddess was born. According to Classical mythology, Venus emerged, fully grown, from the sea. And while Botticelli took his inspiration from this part of the myth, the artist also added his own embellishments.

Venus appears on an enormous shell that serves as a platform. She stands demurely in the center of the painting, modestly covering her nude body with elegant hands and masses of golden hair. A gentle breeze, which is personified as a wind god, lifts the hair of Venus. The wind also causes draperies to flutter attractively, and a myriad of pink rose blossoms also float on the soft current of air. This wind-blown effect simultaneously activates the painting and captures the moment of birth beautifully. Venus is flanked by two groups of figures - on the left, the aforementioned wind god Zephyrus and his female companion, and on the right, a female figure who is identified as one of the Hours (who were also known as the Horae, or Seasons, in Greek mythology).

The painting was executed for the villa of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici at Castello. The patron who commissioned the Botticelli painting for his country villa was a member of the rich and powerful family of the Medici. Either he himself, or one of his learned friends, probably explained to the painter what was known of the way the ancients had represented Venus rising from the sea. To these scholars the story of her birth was the symbol of mystery through which the divine message of beauty came into the world. One can imagine that the painter set to work reverently to represent this myth in a worthy manner. The action of the picture is quickly understood. Venus has emerged from the sea on a shell which is driven to the shore by flying wind-gods amidst a shower of roses. As she is about to step on to the land, one of the Hours or Nymphs receives her with a purple cloak. Botticelli's Venus is so beautiful that we do not notice the unnatural length of her neck, the steep fall of her shoulders and the queer way her left arm is hinged to the body. Or, rather, we should say that these liberties which Botticelli took with nature in order to achieve a graceful outline add to the beauty and harmony of the design because they enhance the impression of an infinitely gender and delicate being, wafted to our shores as a gift from Heaven.

Answer 2

The large painting, completed in 1480, depicts the Roman goddess of love just after she was born from the sea. She is being blown ashore by a couple symboling the wind. As she arrives, Venus is greeted by a young women who represents Spring. One the the first of an almost life- size paintings of a nude since antiquity.

Answer 3

Birth of Venus is in a Renaissance class of paintings called neoplatonism (new Plato) which wsa the concept of using perfect Greek art/figures/thought and combining it with Christian truths to create beutiful artwork that had an underlying Christian theme. In this painting what you see is Venus - the goddess of love and beauty - which could correspond to the Christian concept of the Virgin mary - the Mother of jesus - but conceptually Venus is Jesus. Venus is shown on the water - water = baptism in Christianity and therefore the nymph to the right is John the Baptist. So the neoplatonic interpretation of this painting is The Baptism of Jesus by John The Baptist.

The painting itself was painted for the Medici family who were huge neoplatonism followers and expected all of thier art to express neoplatonic ides and to teach a lesson.

Answer 4

Some say its about Love... others about a tribute for someone special. Try the links below.

Good luck!


Jaime