Venus Botticelli - the standard of beauty. Picture of Sandro Botticelli "Birth of Venus": description, interesting facts

The Roman goddess of love and beauty Venus, as well as her Greek "sister" Aphrodite, for many centuries, praised by poets, sculptors, artists. Myths about her have survived to this day, like many works of art, in which she invariably embodied the ideal of feminine beauty. And one of the most famous masterpieces dedicated to her is undoubtedly the "Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli. So, what do we know about this picture?

Botticelli to the "Venus"

This is not known to everyone, but the author of the famous painting was a man named Alessandro Filipepi. Botticelli he became already later, receiving this nickname, translated from the Italian meaning "barrel", after the older brother, who was remarkable for his excess weight. The future great painter was born in Florence in 1445 in the family of a tanner and at first wanted to be a jeweler. However, after two years of training at goldsmiths, the master chose to go to the pupils of the artist Phillippo Lippi. In his studio, he stayed five years before he left, and young Sandro went to Verrocchio.

A few years later, in 1470, he began to work independently. 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 is fond of the ideas of Neoplatonism, which had a significant impact on his work. From the end of 1470, the glory of Botticelli went beyond Florence, and he went to Rome to work on the frescoes of the Sistine Chapel, which only had to become famous throughout the world thanks to another genius - Michelangelo. Before the appearance of the labor of his whole life, there remained only three years.

History of the painting

"Birth of Venus" Sandro Botticelli deservedly considered a masterpiece of world painting. At the same time this picture carries a lot of mysteries. To begin with, it is for sure not known who is its customer. Proceeding from the fact that the canvas was kept in Villa Castello near Florence, which was in the possession of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de '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 picture, like "Spring", about which will be told a little later, got to the Medici later. Be that as it may, no longer find documentary evidence of who originally ordered the painting "Venus" by Botticelli.

Description

The picture is a cloth about 2 by 3 meters, it is made with tempera paints on the canvas. It depicts a young naked woman on the beach, standing in the sink and symbolizing Venus. To her left are the gods of the winds, which obviously helped her to swim, and to the right - one of the Graces, hurrying to her with a red mantle to hide. Around Venus are flowers (roses, anemones), below the reeds. Strictly speaking, this is not a birth, but rather the arrival of a goddess on the ground.

Symbolism

"The Birth of Venus" - a picture of Botticelli, which is often cited as an example, talking about how skillfully artists weave in their canvases hidden meaning. It particularly clearly shows the influence of the author of Neoplatonism - the doctrine that unites in itself some ideas of both Christianity and paganism. The following most clear symbols stand out:

• The shell in which Venus stands is precisely the shape that the womb represents.
• 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) "responsible" for the spring, namely at this time of the year the goddess is born.
• Roses are a recognized symbol of love.
• Cornflowers on the garment of Gracia - the embodiment of fertility.
• Ivy and myrtle around her neck symbolize attachment and fecundity respectively.
• Anemones at the feet of Gracia - the flowers of the goddess Venus, according to myths, appeared from the tears that she shed, mourning after the death of her beloved Adonis.
• Reeds are a symbol of modesty.
• The orange tree in the upper right corner is a sign of eternal life.
• And finally, the red royal mantle is the divine power that beauty bestows.

Apparently, the symbolism of the painting "The Birth of Venus" by Sandro Botticelli contains enough. And what about the person who became the prototype of the main character of the canvas?

Model

The most likely candidate for the role of the goddess of love in this case is Simonetta Vespucci, in the 1470s at the age of 16 she came with her husband to Florence and immediately became her first beauty. Sandro probably knew her before that - he was pretty close with her family, since he lived with his parents in the next block. True information about how close the artist and model were, no, but Botticelli's creativity experts believe that since their meeting all the Madonna and Venus were written from it.

However, Simonetta was married, and in addition, her fans were many citizens, including very influential. One of them - Giuliano Medici, the younger brother of Lorenzo - was even considered her lover, although there is no evidence that his feelings were not platonic. It is possible that she simply remained a lady of his heart, as it was then accepted.

Simonetta could have inspired many more artists of her time with her beauty, but at the age of 23, in 1976, she died from consumption. Her death became a grief for almost the whole of Florence.

"Venus" Botticelli appeared only 9 years after her death, and in fact the goddess on her is so fresh and beautiful. The artist lived alone until the end of his life, never married. It seems that his only beloved was Simonetta, who found her immortality in the famous canvas.

Location

Currently, the masterpiece is located in the same place where it was created - in Florence, in the Uffizi Gallery. As a rule, around the picture all the time people crowd, but sometimes you can still seize the moment to thoroughly consider it both near and far.

Interesting Facts

• "Spring" and "Venus" Botticelli have as the central figure the same model, but they were written with a break of 7 years.
• When creating the canvas, the artist used innovative for his time techniques - crushed lapis lazuli for blue paint, used a canvas instead of a board, added a minimal amount of fat to the paints, and covered the picture with an egg yolk, which made it virtually intact today .
• In the proportions and posture of Venus, the influence of classical Greek sculpture can be clearly seen, the canons of which were laid by Praxitel and Polyclet.

Cultural influence

The painting "Venus" by Botticelli is the first painting depicting a completely naked female figure whose plot is not dedicated to original sin. And she deservedly became the main masterpiece, glorifying beauty, not requiring anything else. Against the background of other works of the artist, who have mostly religious themes, this plot seems strange. Nevertheless, perhaps without this "Venus" we would lose many of the world's masterpieces, without which it's simply impossible to imagine the history of art today.

And today, "Venus" Botticelli continues to inspire artists, photographers, models. Numerous imitations are created, but the original, embodied in itself the ideal of feminine beauty, can only be one.