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| == Classical inspiration == | == Classical inspiration == | ||
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| The painting was one of a series which Botticelli produced, taking as inspiration written descriptions by the 2nd century historian ] of masterpieces of ] which had long since disappeared. The ancient painting by ] was called '']'', "Anadyomene" meaning "rising from the sea"; this title was also used for Botticelli's painting, ''The Birth of Venus'' only becoming its better known title in the 19th century. | The painting was one of a series which Botticelli produced, taking as inspiration written descriptions by the 2nd century historian ] of masterpieces of ] which had long since disappeared. The ancient painting by ] was called '']'', "Anadyomene" meaning "rising from the sea"; this title was also used for Botticelli's painting, ''The Birth of Venus'' only becoming its better known title in the 19th century. | ||
| 'The Birth of Venus' is very similar to Praxiteles' Aphrodite, a statue. | 'The Birth of Venus' is very similar to Praxiteles' Aphrodite, a statue. | ||
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| The pose of Botticelli's ''Venus'' is reminiscent of the ''Venus de Medici'', a marble sculpture from ] in the ] collection which Botticelli had opportunity to study. | The pose of Botticelli's ''Venus'' is reminiscent of the ''Venus de Medici'', a marble sculpture from ] in the ] collection which Botticelli had opportunity to study. | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| == Botticelli's ''Birth of Venus'' in popular culture == | == Botticelli's ''Birth of Venus'' in popular culture == | ||
| Reproductions and variations on Botticelli's famous painting have been numerous in ], including in ] and ]. Notable examples include: | Reproductions and variations on Botticelli's famous painting have been numerous in ], including in ] and ]. Notable examples include: | ||
Revision as of 09:45, 2 June 2007
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The Birth of Venus is a painting by Sandro Botticelli. It depicts the Goddess Venus, having emerged from the sea as a full grown woman, arriving at the sea-shore (Venus Anadyomene motif). The painting is currently in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence.
Origins
This large picture by Botticelli may have been, like the Primavera, painted for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici's Villa di Castello, around 1483, or even before. Some scholars suggest that the Venus painted for Lorenzo and mentioned by Giorgio Vasari may have been a different work, now lost. Some experts believe it to be a celebration of the love of Giuliano di Piero de' Medici (who died in the Pazzi conspiracy in 1478) for Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, who lived in Portovenere, a town by the sea with a local tradition of being the birthplace of Venus. It must be noted that Botticelli himself also privately loved the beautiful Simonetta, who was de' Medici's mistress. Whatever inspired the artist, there are clear similarities to Ovid's Metamorphoses and Fasti, as well as to Poliziano's Verses. Simonetta is also believed to have been the model for Venus in this painting, as well as for several other women in other Botticelli works, such as Primavera.
The classical Goddess Venus emerges from the water on a shell, blown towards shore by the Zephyrs, symbols of spiritual passions. She is joined by one of the Horae, goddesses of the seasons, who hands her a flowered cloak. According to some commentators, the naked goddess is a symbol not of earthly, but spiritual love, in the manner of an ancient marble statue (which might have inspired the 18th century sculptor, Antonio Canova, by its candor), slim and long-limbed, with harmonious features. The modest pose is borrowed from the Venus Pudica type of ancient sculpture then being rediscovered.
The effect, nonetheless, is distinctly pagan, considering it was made at a time and place when most artworks depicted Roman Catholic themes. It is somewhat surprising that this canvas escaped the flames of Savonarola's bonfires, where a number of Botticelli's other "pagan" influenced works perished. Botticelli was very close to Lorenzo de Medici. Because of their friendship and Lorenzo's power, this work was spared from Savonarola's fires and the disapproval of the Church.
The anatomy of Venus and various subsidiary details do not display the strict classical realism of Leonardo da Vinci or Raphael. Most obviously, Venus has an improbably long neck, and her left shoulder slopes at an anatomically unlikely angle. Such details only enhance the great beauty of the painting, and some have suggested it prefigures mannerism.
Classical inspiration
The painting was one of a series which Botticelli produced, taking as inspiration written descriptions by the 2nd century historian Lucian of masterpieces of Ancient Greece which had long since disappeared. The ancient painting by Apelles was called Venus Anadyomene, "Anadyomene" meaning "rising from the sea"; this title was also used for Botticelli's painting, The Birth of Venus only becoming its better known title in the 19th century. 'The Birth of Venus' is very similar to Praxiteles' Aphrodite, a statue.
A mural from Pompeii was never seen by Botticelli, but may have been a Roman copy of the then famous painting by Apelles which Lucian mentioned.
In classical antiquity, the sea shell was a metaphor for a woman's vulva.
The pose of Botticelli's Venus is reminiscent of the Venus de Medici, a marble sculpture from classical antiquity in the Medici collection which Botticelli had opportunity to study.
Botticelli's Birth of Venus in popular culture
Reproductions and variations on Botticelli's famous painting have been numerous in popular culture, including in advertising and motion pictures. Notable examples include:
Film
- A scene in the 1962 James Bond film Dr. No with Ursula Andress rising from the sea was inspired by the painting.
- The scene was recreated in more detail in the 1988 film The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, with Uma Thurman as Venus.
- In Ken Russell's 1971 film The Devils, Louis XIII of France first appears in a court tableau/ballet as Botticelli's Venus emerging on stage from a giant half shell a la Bette Midler.
Television
- Munchausen's director Terry Gilliam had previously featured the painting in an animated sequence in Monty Python's Flying Circus, segueing into the Dead Parrot sketch. In true Python fashion, a hand reaches up from the sea to twist Venus's exposed breast, causing upbeat music to play while Venus dances in a very silly fashion. This sequence is also seen in the Monty Python film And Now For Something Completely Different.
- On the Futurama episode "Love and Rocket", Bender shows the Planet Express ship (who is ranting about how his tax dollars are being used for what he considers "obscene art") the Venus de Venus, a (presumably nude) female blob monster on a clam.
- On the Simpsons episode "The Last Temptation of Homer", Homer hallucinates The Birth of Venus upon first meeting his new female co-worker, prompting one of the Zephyrs in the hallucination (who is portrayed by another coworker) to ask, "What's the matter, Homer? Ain't you ever seen a naked chick riding a clam before?"
Music
- In Joni Mitchell's 1991 album Night Ride Home, the song "The Only Joy In Town" has the following opening lyrics: "I want to paint a picture Botticelli style, Instead of Venus on a clam I'd paint this flower child".
- The song "Diamonds & Rust", by Joan Baez, features the lyrics "The Madonna was yours for free/Yes the girl on the half-shell/Would keep you unharmed."
- Robin Williamson's song "Will We Open The Heavens", from his 1972 solo debut Myrrh, is based on Botticelli's painting.
- Peter Gabriel's song "Modern Love", from his self-titled first album, features the lyrics "I trusted my Venus was untouched in her shell/ but the pearls, the pearls in her oyster were as tacky as hell".
Books
- The "Kilgore Trout" novel Venus on the Half-Shell is titled from a jocular nickname for the painting.
- In a scene near the end of Vladimir Nabokov's Lolita, the main character Humbert Humbert realizes that Lolita has a striking similitude to Botticelli's Venus.
- A subplot of Thomas Pynchon's novel V. centers on an attempt by a love-struck character to steal the painting from the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. The scene underscores the paradoxical attraction and destruction of men to women, a key theme in the novel.
Media
- Adobe Illustrator used a stylized representation of the painting in its splash screen through version 10.
- In the 2006 Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony, Eva Herzigová appears as Venus from a shell.
- The cover of the first issue of John Byrne's obscure 1994 comic book Babe depicts the female protagonist standing on a clam shell in a similar pose, covering her intimate areas with her long flowing hair, while a man rushes to cover her with a towel.
- In April 2007, new media artist Deb King created the interactive piece Venus Construct inspired by The Birth of Venus, which made its debut at the Forum Gallery in New York City in the exhibition "The Feminist Figure."
Other
- A stylized face of Venus is on the 10 cent Italian euro coins.
External links
- The Medici Venus - Greek statue, template for Botticelli's Venus