About Sandro Botticelli
A Short Biography:
Sandro Botticelli was born in Florence, Italy, with a birth name of Alessandro di Mariano Vanni Filipepi. It is believed that his painting career started when he was about 14 years old, and by the time he was 15, he had his own workshop. At this age, Botticelli had started to create his own artistic style. One reason Botticelli’s work had become popular is because of his use of Neo-Platonism. Neo-Platonism means that his paintings, “could appeal to many tastes by including Christianity and paganism in his works” ("Sandro Botticelli Biography").
As Sandro Botticelli grew older, his fame and wealth grew as well. One reason Botticelli had the fame he did was because of the Medici family. Medici had a positive influence on Botticelli which gave him more opportunities as a painter. One example is when the Papacy asked Botticelli to paint the Sistine Chapel in Rome. This is a great honor, and great recognition for Botticelli’s work because only the most talented, and memorable artist got to paint the Chapel.
Towards the end of Botticelli’s life, one of his greatest influences was Savonarola, a Florentine monk. Savonarola was a very controversial monk. But, after Savonarola had lost his popularity, Botticelli still made a mark on art through his altarpieces. But like any artist, or trend, Botticelli’s career had started to decline due the evolving Italian society, and the introduction of new and modern artist. Like all life, on May 17th 1510 Botticelli had died in Florence, Italy. ("Sandro Botticelli Biography")
Even though Sandro Botticelli had many great works of art, this page will focus on his piece entitled The Birth of Venus.
Sandro Botticelli was born in Florence, Italy, with a birth name of Alessandro di Mariano Vanni Filipepi. It is believed that his painting career started when he was about 14 years old, and by the time he was 15, he had his own workshop. At this age, Botticelli had started to create his own artistic style. One reason Botticelli’s work had become popular is because of his use of Neo-Platonism. Neo-Platonism means that his paintings, “could appeal to many tastes by including Christianity and paganism in his works” ("Sandro Botticelli Biography").
As Sandro Botticelli grew older, his fame and wealth grew as well. One reason Botticelli had the fame he did was because of the Medici family. Medici had a positive influence on Botticelli which gave him more opportunities as a painter. One example is when the Papacy asked Botticelli to paint the Sistine Chapel in Rome. This is a great honor, and great recognition for Botticelli’s work because only the most talented, and memorable artist got to paint the Chapel.
Towards the end of Botticelli’s life, one of his greatest influences was Savonarola, a Florentine monk. Savonarola was a very controversial monk. But, after Savonarola had lost his popularity, Botticelli still made a mark on art through his altarpieces. But like any artist, or trend, Botticelli’s career had started to decline due the evolving Italian society, and the introduction of new and modern artist. Like all life, on May 17th 1510 Botticelli had died in Florence, Italy. ("Sandro Botticelli Biography")
Even though Sandro Botticelli had many great works of art, this page will focus on his piece entitled The Birth of Venus.
The Birth of Venus
DetailsDate of Creation: 1486
Height (cm):172.50; (in) 67.9 Length (cm):278.50; (in) 109.6 Medium: Tempera Support: Canvas Art Movement: Renaissane Created by: Sandro Botticelli Current Location: Florence, Italy Displayed at: Galleria degli Uffizi ("Birth of Venus") |
This video consist of two speakers, Dr. Beth Harris and Dr. Steven Zucker, discussing The Birth of Venus and analyzing it and giving more insight to the meaning behind this great painting by Sandro Botticelli.
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The Birth of Venus was painted on canvas. At this point in time, not many artists used canvas to do such large scales work, which in turn made Botticelli one of the first to use canvas on a larger painting. This is because most works of art were done on wood panels. As of now, The Birth of Venus has actually been preserved very well. The painting has minimal damage. One reason could be due to Botticelli's use of tempera. For this piece he used his own form of tempera pigments which had little amounts of fat and then covered them with a layer of egg whites. It is also stated that this work of art is fresco like because it has a sense of freshness. (Artbile)
About The Birth of Venus
Theme and Inspiration:
The theme and inspiration for The Birth of Venus started with Lorenzo di Medici. Lorenzo had created a “literary society” that served a purpose of reconnecting, understanding, and translating the works of past peoples (works of art, music, literature etc.). The works of Virgil, Homer and Hesiod were often the topic of discussion. As for The Birth of Venus, it got its origin from Hesiod. Lorenzo had Angelo Poliziano (a contemporary of Botticelli and Medici court poet) write a poem inspired by an ode by Hesiod. Angelo Poliziano wrote “Stanze per la Giostra”. Both Hesiod and Angelo Poliziano wrote about when Venus had come ashore, rather than her actual birth. The Medici had commissioned Botticelli to paint The Birth of Venus. (Artbile)
Overall the story of The Birth of Venus is ultimately a classical myth, retold throughout history. The Italians often wanted to recapture the former glory of Rome. This is why classical myths, like The Birth of Venus had gained popularity.
The Story (what is happening):
What is happening in this painting can be summed up quite simply, “Venus emerges from the sea upon a shell aligned with the myth that explains her birth. Her shell is pushed to the shore from winds being produced by the wind-gods in amongst a shower of roses. As Venus is about to step onto the shore, a Nymph reaches out to cover her with a cloak” (Artbile).
As for her actual birth, it can be described as, "The classical poet Hesiod describes her as rising from the foaming sea after Chronos cut off his father Uranus' penis and threw it into the ocean" (Krén). After this event, Venus was created and born within the ocean, and The Birth of Venus painting is her making her way to shore.
The theme and inspiration for The Birth of Venus started with Lorenzo di Medici. Lorenzo had created a “literary society” that served a purpose of reconnecting, understanding, and translating the works of past peoples (works of art, music, literature etc.). The works of Virgil, Homer and Hesiod were often the topic of discussion. As for The Birth of Venus, it got its origin from Hesiod. Lorenzo had Angelo Poliziano (a contemporary of Botticelli and Medici court poet) write a poem inspired by an ode by Hesiod. Angelo Poliziano wrote “Stanze per la Giostra”. Both Hesiod and Angelo Poliziano wrote about when Venus had come ashore, rather than her actual birth. The Medici had commissioned Botticelli to paint The Birth of Venus. (Artbile)
Overall the story of The Birth of Venus is ultimately a classical myth, retold throughout history. The Italians often wanted to recapture the former glory of Rome. This is why classical myths, like The Birth of Venus had gained popularity.
The Story (what is happening):
What is happening in this painting can be summed up quite simply, “Venus emerges from the sea upon a shell aligned with the myth that explains her birth. Her shell is pushed to the shore from winds being produced by the wind-gods in amongst a shower of roses. As Venus is about to step onto the shore, a Nymph reaches out to cover her with a cloak” (Artbile).
As for her actual birth, it can be described as, "The classical poet Hesiod describes her as rising from the foaming sea after Chronos cut off his father Uranus' penis and threw it into the ocean" (Krén). After this event, Venus was created and born within the ocean, and The Birth of Venus painting is her making her way to shore.
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About the Video:
“That Obscure Object of Desire" "ArtSleuth is an original ten-episode video series (10 x 12 min) based on the Gigapixels and a very large set of image comparisons. Scripted like a detective inquiry, it shows that there is more than one expects in the pictures. It encourages the audience not simply to admire artworks, but to watch them more closely and to think critically about them. It is produced by Canal Educatif, whose mission is to produce high-quality educational content.” (Uffizi Gallery) This video gives great insight as to why Sandro Painted The Birth of Venus the way he did, and it explains and analyzes all aspects of the painting. The video often compares The Birth of Venus to other works of art, which in the end gives more reason as to why this painting is considered a masterpiece from the Renaissance era. |