The Birth of Venus

The Renaissance was a time of “rebirth” in western Europe. It was a time of learning, of a belief that each person was capable of great achievement. One of the many reasons for this change was the recovery of ancient Roman and Greek texts that had been previously held in Constantinople. The return of these texts sparked a new interest in classical Greek and Roman mythology and artistic ideals.

The Birth of Venus was created in the 1480’s by Sandro Botticelli. This particular painting is of tempera on canvas. In this work, we see Venus coming to life out of the ocean, being pushed by wind from Zephyr and greeted onshore by a worshipper. These figures come directly from Roman mythology (and as such, somewhat from Greek mythology). According to Art History: Fourteenth to Seventeenth Century Art , Venus could be seen as the Virgin Mary due to her representation of both human and divine love. This is could be one of the reasons for her modesty in the painting. This figure of Venus takes a stance seen in ancient Rome, known as the “modest Venus”. This was a way of making female nudity acceptable, she is making an effort to cover herself. On the other hand, in doing so, covering her genitals brings attention to that area. Using these ancient conventions of nudity, Botticelli created one of the first female nudes in Italian painting.

This piece has several very discernable qualities different from other early Italian Renaissance works. For instance, all of the figures are in the foreground and along the same horizontal plane. Many other Renaissance works have figures in the background either going about their own business or sometimes participating in the scene in the front. Such an example can be seen in Piero della Francesca’s Baptism of Christ where four robed men can be seen far in the background behind Christ. The position of the figures is reflective of the altarpieces being produced in the north at the same time, the subject being in the middle with people on each side participating along with the scene in the center. There is also not a busy background as can be seen in other paintings. Many pieces have bustling cities to add to the landscape and realism of the painting, while Botticelli has depicted a calm seaside scene instead.

There exists in Botticelli’s a wonderful sense of movement. There are very few harsh lines, a lot of blending taking their place. The blowing wind of the ocean is evident in the flowing lines of both the pink garment held by the worshipper and Zephyr’s throw. The wind is also felt in the women’s hair as well as the wafting roses.

The colors used by Botticelli are bright and used in a less saturate way than in many other Renaissance works, giving the painting an almost pastel look. In a lot of other works, dark colors are the scheme of the subjects clothing. One such piece is Nativity and Adoration of the Shepherds by Domenico Ghirlandaio. In that piece all of the prominent figures are clothed in dark fabrics with very little life or movement. By contrast, the Birth of Venus is alive with bright colors. The clothing, or lack thereof, is bright, begging to be noticed. The bright color of the covering, as well as her white dress brings our attention to the attendant on the right side of the piece. She, as a mortal worshipper, is completely clothed, while the mythical beings are allowed to remain without garments, perhaps of their elevated status. Botticelli has painted Venus’s skin a pale and bright white, making her stand out and the main focus of the piece.

There are some elements of the Birth of Venus that are not realistic in relation to the rest of the scene. For instance, the shell Venus is standing in has very little depth, giving the sense that she is standing on it rather than in it. Also, her neck is inexplicably long, a proportion not found in real women, although she is not a real woman, but a goddess.

With the Birth of Venus, Botticelli created a work that has remained one of the most recognizable paintings from the Italian Renaissance and captured many of the values of both the ancient world and the world in which he lived.