True revival can only happen after total darkness and complete oblivion. Botticelli's "Renaissance" began a little later than expected; his paintings were forgotten during the times of classicism. And only the Pre-Raphaelite artists, Milles and Rossetti, breathed life into his deceased name. Tender Sandro, airy Botticelli - the spontaneity and lightness of his paintings puts you in a state of trance - this is exactly what is called catharsis. And the language and pixels on the monitor screen are poor in order to express the superiority of form and meaning, woven into a harmonious unity on this canvas.
Before you is the triumph of feeling over reason, beauty over ugliness, good over evil and God over the Devil - this is great battle light and shadow for the glory of harmony and proportion. “The Birth of Venus” and every word said about it is already unimaginably vulgar, but we will take the risk, because we so want to touch the beauty.
The painting depicts, as it is not difficult to guess from the title, the goddess Venus, surrounded on the left side by Zephyr, the east wind and his wife, Chloris. They then rush the girl to the shore, where the goddess of earthly nature, Ora, meets her with open arms.
Botticelli’s “Venus” can be shown as an example of ideal compliance with all the rules of composition and light and shadow drawing. Here is the canon of Polykleitos in a female incarnation - one shoulder is slightly raised, the other is inclined, they correspond to slightly protruded and lowered hips. This ode to Beethoven's Joy, painted in oil on a host long before the composer was born, is a magnificence in pure form. How can one argue about the superiority of form over content or vice versa when you see such a holistic image.
Botticelli was an exemplary student worthy son Greek polis and acted within the framework of previously written treatises on painting. For example, many art historians note the use of knowledge from Cennino Cennini's Treatise on Painting in crushing lapis lazuli to produce blue paint - this can be seen in the cornflowers on Ora's dress.
Also, the principle of applying the thinnest sheet of gold is the purple cape of Venus herself. But there were also innovations introduced by the artist himself - the use of canvas, rather than boards, for a work of such a large size. It should also be noted that he added minimal amount fat to pigments, thanks to which the canvas remained strong and elastic for a long time, and the paint did not crack, and we can see them almost in their original form.
But all the “technical” superiority pales against the background of the images and their expressiveness. “Bashful Venus” - this fragile and tender girl, barely born, timid but decisive - will become a kind of canon of femininity and sophistication in ancient Greece. Her spontaneous and natural ease has inspired hundreds of creators and dreamers for hundreds of years, and we are no exception.
Sandro Botticelli (Italian: Sandro Botticelli, March 1, 1445 - May 17, 1510) is the nickname of the Florentine artist Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi (Italian: Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi), who brought the art of the Quattrocento to the threshold of the High Renaissance.
A deeply religious man, Botticelli worked in all the major temples of Florence and in Sistine Chapel Vatican, however, he remained in the history of art primarily as the author of large-format poetic paintings on subjects inspired by classical antiquity - “Spring” and “The Birth of Venus”.
For a long time, Botticelli was in the shadow of the Renaissance giants who worked after him, until he was in mid-19th century was rediscovered by the British Pre-Raphaelites, who revered the fragile linearity and spring freshness of his mature canvases as highest point in the development of world art.
Spring
"Spring" vividly illustrates the iconography of the Renaissance and reflects the philosophy of Neoplatonism.
Although some of the figures were depicted in the manner of ancient sculptures, they were not direct copies, but were created in Botticelli's own, special language of forms: slender, idealized figures, whose bodies sometimes seem too refined, foreshadow a graceful, sophisticated style XVI centuries - mannerism.
Venus, the goddess of love, stands in the center of the picture, slightly behind the other figures. On the right, Zephyr, a cold spring wind, overtakes the nymph Chloris. She runs away from him and turns into Flora, Vesna, dressed as befits a married Florentine from a rich family.
Above Venus, Cupid aims his arrows at dancing graces(on the right is Beauty, in the center is Chastity, on the left is Pleasure). It is believed that the prototype of the Grace figures was Simonetta Vespucci, and the right Grace has the face of Caterina Sforza, also depicted by Botticelli on famous portrait in Catherine of Alexandria from the Lindenau Museum.
The Garden of Venus is guarded by Mercury, wearing a helmet and holding a sword, stretching out his hand to disperse the clouds of ignorance with the caduceus, depicted as two winged dragons.
There are other interpretations of the scene. For example, Spring is also seen as a political image: Cupid would be Rome, the Three Graces would be Pisa, Naples and Genoa, Mercury would be Milan, Flora would be Florence, May would be Mantua, Chloris and Zephyr would be Venice and Bolzano (or Arezzo and Forli).
The fiery robes of Venus and Mercury can be attributed to St. Lawrence, burned at the stake (an allusion to the name Lorenzo).
The round fruits resemble the golden balls depicted on the Medici family coat of arms.
Mercury is depicted with the caduceus, the symbol of doctors, with the Medici surname meaning "doctor".
Birth of Venus
The painting illustrates the myth of the birth of Venus (Greek: Aphrodite). A naked goddess swims to the shore in an open shell, driven by the wind. On the left side of the painting, Zephyr (the west wind), in the arms of his wife Chloris (Roman Flora), blows on a shell, creating a wind filled with flowers. On the shore, the goddess is met by one of the graces.
“Near the island of Cythera, Aphrodite, daughter of Uranus, was born from snow-white foam sea waves. A light, caressing breeze brought her to the island of Cyprus. There the young Oras surrounded the goddess of love who emerged from the sea waves. They dressed her in gold-woven clothing and crowned her with a wreath of fragrant flowers. Wherever Aphrodite stepped, flowers grew magnificently. The whole air was full of fragrance.". (Nikolai Kun. “Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece”).
The pose of Venus shows the influence of classical greek sculpture. The way she rests on one leg, the line of her hip, the chaste hand gesture and the very proportions of the body are based on the canon of harmony and beauty, developed by Polycletus and Praxiteles.
The birth of Venus in ancient times was associated with a cult, the symbols of which are present in Botticelli’s painting. Thus, the purple mantle in Grace’s hands had not only a decorative, but also a ritual function. Such robes were depicted on Greek urns and symbolized the border between two worlds - both newborns and the dead were wrapped in them. In the Middle Ages, attributes of Venus, such as roses and a shell, became associated with the Virgin Mary. The shell, which accompanied the images of Venus, symbolized fertility, sensual pleasures and sexuality, migrated into the iconography of the Mother of God, and began to mean purity and purity (for example, the Altar of St. Barnabas by Botticelli).
In depicting the blowing Zephyr, flying roses, flowing hair and movement as expressions of life and energy, Botticelli followed the premises set out in the works of the Renaissance art theorist Leon Battista Alberti. Botticelli also probably relied on Cennino Cennini’s “Treatise on Painting,” which describes, among other things, the technique of crushing lapis lazuli to obtain blue paint (the cornflowers on Grace’s dress) and the principle of applying the finest sheet of gold (the purple cape of Venus). Important among Botticelli's innovations was the use of canvas rather than board for a work of such large size. He added a minimal amount of fat to the pigments, so the canvas remained strong and elastic for a long time, and the paint did not crack. It was also established that Botticelli applied a protective layer of egg yolk to the painting, thanks to which the Birth of Venus was well preserved.
Some reproductions and allusions
To begin with, the composition of the same name by the Therion ensemble
And the beauty of Venus, as well as her Greek “sister” Aphrodite, has been glorified by poets, sculptors, and artists for many centuries. Myths about her have survived to this day, as have many works of art, in which she invariably embodied the ideal of female beauty. And one of the most famous masterpieces Dedicated to her, of course, is “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli. So what do we know about this painting?
Botticelli before "Venus"
Not everyone knows about this, but the author famous painting there was a man named Alessandro Filipepi. He became Botticelli later, having received this nickname, translated from Italian meaning “barrel”, following his older brother, who was distinguished by a fair overweight. Future great painter was born in Florence in 1445 in the family of a tanner and at first wanted to be a goldsmith. However, after two years of studying with a goldsmith, he chose to apprentice with the artist Filippo Lippi. He stayed in his workshop for five years before he left, and young Sandro went to Verrocchio.
A couple of years later, in 1470, he began independent work. Having opened his own workshop, the young man quickly gained popularity and recognition. Over the next decade he acquired a large number of influential customers, among whom was the Medici family. At the same time, he became interested in the ideas of Neoplatonism, which had a significant influence on his work. From the end of 1470, Botticelli's fame went beyond the borders of Florence, and he went to Rome to work on frescoes which were yet to become famous throughout the world thanks to another genius - Michelangelo. There were only three years left before the work of his whole life appeared.
History of the painting
"The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli is deservedly considered a masterpiece of world painting. At the same time, this picture carries a lot of mysteries. Let's start with the fact that it is not known for certain who its customer is. Based on the fact that the canvas was kept at the Villa Castello near Florence, which was in the possession of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco Medici, most art historians claim that it was he who paid for the work. According to other versions, initially the customer was a completely different person. Well, this painting, like “Spring,” which will be discussed a little later, came to the Medici later. Be that as it may, it is no longer possible to find documentary evidence of who originally commissioned the painting “Venus” by Botticelli.
Description
The painting is a canvas approximately 2 by 3 meters, it is executed on canvas. It depicts a young naked woman on the seashore, standing in a shell, symbolizing Venus. To her left are the gods of the winds, who apparently helped her swim, and to her right is one of the Graces, hurrying towards her with a red robe to cover her. There are flowers (roses, anemones) around Venus, and reeds below. Strictly speaking, this is not a birth, but rather the arrival of the goddess on earth.
Symbolism
“The Birth of Venus” is a painting by Botticelli, which is often cited as an example when talking about how skillfully artists weave hidden meaning into their canvases. It especially clearly shows the influence of the author of Neoplatonism - a doctrine that combined some ideas of both Christianity and paganism. The following are the clearest symbols:
- The shell in which Venus stands is exactly the shape that personifies the female womb.
- The winds, located on the left side of the picture (some still take them for angels), in the form of figures of a man and a woman, symbolize the unity of carnal and spiritual love.
- Ora Tallo (according to another version - one of the Graces) was “responsible” for spring, and it is at this time of year that the birth of the goddess occurs.
- Roses are a recognized symbol of love.
- Cornflowers on Grace's robe are the personification of fertility.
- The ivy and myrtle around her neck symbolize affection and fertility respectively.
- The anemones at the feet of Grace are the flowers of the goddess Venus, according to myths, which appeared from the tears that she shed while grieving after the death of her beloved Adonis.
- Reed is a symbol of modesty.
- in the upper right corner is a sign of eternal life.
- And finally, red is the divine power that beauty bestows.
As you can see, the painting “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli contains enough symbolism. But what can be said about the person who became the prototype? main character canvases?
Model
The most likely candidate for the role of the goddess of love in in this case appears in the 1470s at the age of 16, who came with her husband to Florence and immediately became its first beauty. Sandro probably knew her even before that - he communicated quite closely with her family, since he lived with his parents in the next block. There is no real information about how close the artist and the model were, but experts on Botticelli’s work believe that from the moment of their meeting, all Madonnas and Venuses were painted from her.
However, Simonetta was married, and in addition, many townspeople, including very influential ones, were her admirers. One of them - Giuliano Medici, Lorenzo's younger brother - was even considered her lover, although there is no evidence that his feelings were not platonic. It is quite possible that she simply remained the lady of his heart, as was customary then.
Simonetta could have inspired many more artists of her time with her beauty, but at the age of 23, in 1976, she died of consumption. Her death became a grief for almost all of Florence.
Botticelli's "Venus" appeared only 9 years after her death, but the goddess in it is so fresh and beautiful. The artist lived alone until the end of his life, never marrying. It seems that his only beloved remained Simonetta, who found her immortality in the famous painting.
Location
Currently, the masterpiece is located in the same place where it was created - in Florence, in. As a rule, people crowd around the painting all the time, but sometimes you can still take a moment to examine it thoroughly, both up close and from afar.
- "Spring" and "Venus" by Botticelli have the same model as the central figure, but they were painted 7 years apart.
- When creating the canvas, the artist used innovative techniques for his time - he crushed lapis lazuli to obtain blue paint, used canvas rather than a board, added a minimal amount of fat to the paint, and also covered the painting with egg yolk, thanks to which it has survived to this day almost in its original form .
- The proportions and pose of Venus clearly show the influence of classical Greek sculpture, the canons of which were laid down by Praxiteles and Polykleitos.
Cultural influence
The painting "Venus" by Botticelli is the first painting depicting a completely naked female figure, the plot of which is not dedicated to original sin. And it deservedly became the main masterpiece, glorifying beauty that does not need anything else. Compared to the rest of the artist’s works, which have mainly religious themes, this plot seems strange. Nevertheless, perhaps, without this “Venus” we would have lost many of the world’s masterpieces, without which it is simply impossible to imagine the history of art today.
And today Botticelli’s “Venus” continues to inspire artists, photographers, and models. Numerous imitations are created, but there can only be one original, embodying the ideal of female beauty.
In the inventory of paintings "Birth of Venus" labeled: “Venus at sea, standing on a shell.” This is how you can sometimes put a world masterpiece into the soulless framework of a few words. What is depicted in the painting by Sandro Botticelli "Birth of Venus"? Shall we try to describe it?
The central image of this picture is a newly born beauty - Venus, which floats to the shore on a sea shell under the breeze god of the west wind, Zephyr, sweeping over the sea space in the arms of its beloved Flora. With delicate roses giving lightness to its air flows (a rose in mythology is Venus symbol, a flower that appeared from drops of her blood father - Uranus). This moment symbolizes the act of incarnation into man by Her Majesty Nature, where, in contact with matter, the life-giving spirit breathes the human world into the goddess, so that she moves on and brings beauty and love to people.
On the other hand, he is in a hurry to the girl nymph Ora, which is the embodiment of Nature, symbolizing that historical moment improving man, extending his cloak to Venus, endowing her with the best virtues. Ora - one of the three Mountains, a nymph of the seasons and judging by the flowers embroidered on her clothes, patronizes precisely that period of the year when the strength and power of Venus reaches its apogee. Perhaps the great Renaissance artist was inspired to paint the picture by one of Homer’s hymns, in which god of the west wind, Zephyr brought Venus (Aphrodite) to the island of Cyprus, where the Mountains accepted her into their arms.
According to the master himself, Venus is harmony, born from a harmonious union of matter and spirit, nature and soul, love and idea.
Sandro Botticelli from the painting “Adoration of the Magi”, where he depicted himself.
This is one of brilliant creations artist, which, like his other magnificent work, remained in complete oblivion for more than three hundred years, located in one of the small villas in the vicinity capital of Tuscany - Florence. Just think, the painting was a little larger in size, half a meter larger vertically, mostly the top of the painting, and a quarter meter horizontally. The missing centimeters would achieve the ideal ratio of space, namely the abundance air flow above the heads of the characters in the picture, as if we had taken a few steps back.
Who is the muse that inspired Sandro Botticelli to paint this painting? "Birth of Venus", because Venus is perhaps the most captivating image of the great artist Italian Renaissance. The painting was commissioned by the cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent, Duke of Florence in 1486. A model
was born on the Ligurian coast, in the town of Portovenere. She was a beloved, and was the embodiment of beauty and love itself, which is why Sandro himself warmed his hands by someone else’s fire with such a maddening desire. For a long time, the artist maintained warm relations with the Medici family, but was especially friendly with Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco Medici, for whom he painted the paintings and "Spring". The love of Giuliano and Simonetta became the most discussed event for the Florentines, although it did not last long. Soon Simonetta dies of consumption, and two years later, on the day of the burial of Simonetta Vespucci, April 26, while mourning her beloved, Giuliano was stabbed to death in the cathedral.
Sandro Botticelli bequeathed to be buried next to his muse. 34 years after the death of Simonetta Vespucci, Sandro Botticelli was buried at the feet of the sleeping beauty in Florence, in the Church of Ognissanti, built by a member of the Vespucci family.
Unfortunately, most of Sandro Botticelli's paintings were lost during the artist's lifetime in religious fires from the time of Savonarola, but “The Birth of Venus” miraculously survived and now it decorates the hall art gallery Uffizi in Florence.
Approaching the hall where my favorite painting by my favorite artist is located, I felt a special inner thrill. And here she is, before my eyes. It's finished.
Svetlana Conobella, from Italy with love.
About konobella
Svetlana Konobella, writer, publicist and sommelier of the Italian Association (Associazione Italiana Sommelier). Cultivist and implementer of various ideas. What inspires: 1. Everything that goes beyond generally accepted ideas, but honoring traditions is not alien to me. 2. A moment of unity with the object of attention, for example, with the roar of a waterfall, a sunrise in the mountains, a glass of unique wine on the shore mountain lake, a fire burning in the forest, a starry sky. Who inspires: Those who create their world, complete bright colors, emotions and impressions. I live in Italy and love its rules, style, traditions, as well as know-how, but the Motherland and compatriots are forever in my heart. Editor of the portal www..Anyone who watches “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli experiences an indescribable charm. This painting was once placed in one of the halls of the Villa Medici; now it adorns the Florentine Uffizi Gallery. There is no other relationship to the "Birth of Venus" other than unconditional worship.
A few words about the author of this masterpiece. His real name is Alessandro Filipepi. Botticelli is the “barrel”, this was his nickname in childhood. He was, as they say, not of this world. Dreamily fearful, fantastic in his judgments. He believed in insights and not cared about wealth. He did not build his own house, did not create a family. The Russian philosopher N. Berdyaev called him the most beautiful and exciting poetic artist of the Renaissance.
The painting “The Birth of Venus” (1485) was commissioned from him for the Villa Castello, which belonged to the Medici dynasty ruling in Florence (300 years).
Portraits of women are rare in Sandro Botticelli, but he sang and glorified Simonetta Vespucci, a woman famous for her beauty and love. She was the lover of another man - Giuliano Medici. She is Beauty itself, the queen of almighty art. And that is why with such painful passion Botticelli warms his hands at someone else’s fire. And that is why Vespucci says about Simonetta what “has never been said about any woman.”
All the noble men of the city went crazy for her; the brothers Giuliano and Lorenzo Medici sought her favor.
Her contemporary describes her as “a simple and innocent lady who never gave cause to jealousy or scandal,” and says that “among other exceptional gifts of nature, she had such a sweet and attractive manner of communication that everyone who had intimate relations with her acquaintance, or those to whom she showed even the slightest attention felt themselves to be the object of her affection.
There was not a single woman who envied her, and everyone praised her so much that it seemed an extraordinary thing: so many men loved her without excitement or jealousy, and so many ladies praised her without malice."
The painting depicts the birth of Venus from the foam of the sea, or the mystery of the appearance into the world of Beauty. Having just been born from the sea foam, she swims to the shore.
Look at this Venus, this bashful girl in the eyes in which some kind of bright sadness wanders, as if she is going to suffer in earthly life. And the face of the goddess has become for many a symbol of Botticell's mood.
Venus's eyes look slightly surprised, not stopping at anything. The head is crowned with a luxurious cascade of golden hair. Following the ancient Roman poets, Botticelli depicts hair divided into strands and swayed by the sea wind. This spectacle is captivating.
The artist endowed the sensual appearance of the beautiful goddess of love and beauty with purity and almost sacred sublimity. The rain of roses falling rhythmically into the sea is conveyed in a clear language of lines and color.
From her left, Zephyr blows, sweeping over the sea in the arms of her beloved Aura. From their breath, roses fall and seem to fill the picture with a subtle fragrance. The rhythm of their fall is similar to the rhythm of the waves formed by the movement of a shell.
Botticelli expressively conveyed the element of the winds blowing over the waters. The swirling robes, the lines with which the hair and wings are written - all this is full of dynamic impulse, personifying one of the basic elements of the universe.
Unlike the winds, whose element is air, Ora's space is earth. In a white dress embroidered with cornflowers, decorated with garlands of myrtles and roses, she, standing on the shore, is ready to envelop Venus in a cloak, the red color of which symbolizes love. The two side wings of the composition - the flying winds and Ora, whose volume is visibly increased by the dress swayed by the wind, the tree and the cloak of Venus - are something like a curtain, which, having opened, presented to the world the mystery of the appearance of Beauty.
In the painting “The Birth of Venus,” every detail is found with amazing precision, and the composition as a whole leaves the impression of perfect harmony.
Every detail of this composition is like music. Rhythm is present in the entire picture - in the bend of the young body, and the strands of hair so beautifully torn in the wind, and in the general coordination of her hands, in the outstretched leg, in the turn of the head and the figures that surround her.
In the painting by Sandro Botticelli, a naked woman reigns, woven from the rhythms of soft lines and chastely covering her breasts and womb...
The painting captures that moment, those midnight hours, when (in the words of the poet V. Bryusov) “... the light has no power,” but the darkness has already “been wasted.” Pre-dawn morning, the deserted sea is covered with light ripples and barely splashes... Only in the background of the picture can be seen a bare shore with several sharp toes, and on the shore with right side The orange trees are swaying.
An interesting fate in everyone involved in this picture. Simonetta dies of consumption very young, she was only 22 years old. This is how they talk about her funeral:
“With her face uncovered they carried her from the house to the crypt, and she made those who saw her shed many tears... She inspired compassion, but also admiration, for in death she surpassed the beauty that during her life was considered unsurpassed. She is buried in the Vespucci family chapel in the Church of Ognissanti (chiesa di Ognissanti) in Florence (built by a member of the Vespucci family). Giuliano died exactly two years after her death, also on April 26.
Church of Ognissanti, where the artist and his muse are buried.
During his lifetime, the artist idolized his muse and bequeathed to be buried next to her. 34 years after the death of Simonetta, Sandro Botticelli was buried in Florence in the Church of Ornissanti at the feet of his muse.