Birth of Venus

Moses Nyirakomini

Professor Manny

ART 239-Ancient to Medieval

23 February 2016

Birth of Venus

        The Birth of Venus is a renaissance piece done by Sandro Botticelli and the painting’s dimensions are 5’8” x 9’2”. From examining the piece for a mere twenty minutes I’ve concluded that the artwork is meant to represent beauty overall as well as a different take on renaissance paintings. The image captures what appears to be a goddess named Venus, she’s elegantly posing on a seashell while two angel figures blow her towards a woman who is ready to embrace her with clothes on shore. To grasp a visual understanding of the Birth of Venus, it is important to analyze the composition/pose, the art style, space, and the colors.

        For the composition, it is apparent that Venus is the most important person in the painting, although she is not depicted as being larger than the other figures her importance is recognized as she is positioned in the center of the piece from feet to toes, spanning almost the entire width of the canvas. Her pose is shown to be elegant, graceful, fluid and beautiful as she stands with one foot on a seashell. It seems like an impossible position to pose in but the dynamic nature compliments her beauty and essence as a goddess. As for the seashell, the large mass laying at the feet of Venus stimulate more attention towards her. Everyone in the painting appears to have a floating presence about them but it is quite literal when observing the two angel like figures of the left. Their placement is perhaps meant to symbolize the wind, blending with the movement of the ocean as well as the brightness of the sky.

        On the surface the art style seems very obvious, it is a renaissance painting therefore it is naturalistic. However, upon further examination there is more to it as the artwork perfectly blends the naturalistic look with a stylized feeling. For example, typically the figures in a renaissance painting are meant to carry some weight to them, it’s what establishes a naturalistic setting for the artwork. But the individuals appear to be weightless, giving them a perfect and flawless impression. This stylistic approach is also seen in the two angel figures, which are meant to symbolize the wind. The male and female are intertwined to illustrate the beauty and the brawn of the wind, with the male representing the aggression and the female representing the calm and coolness of the wind. The background is also meant to have a stylized impression, as the long and skinny trunks extend to display tiny individual leaves at the branch. The seashore is foreshortened due to the fact that all three figures encompass the entire portrait, hovering over the small amount of sand and look about the same height as the trees. Many aspects of this painting are in motion. For example, the leaves of the golden trees, the locks of Venus’s hair are being blown by the angels, the roses floating behind her, the cloaks are being blown and lifted, and the waves are full of energy but have a smoothness to them, as the small ripples extend back behind the shell Venus is posing on.

        There is no effect of space here, the contents in the picture are condensed with the background serving a minor role while the foreground of individuals is meant to be the center of attention. However, detail is never compromised as the waves become smaller, less noticeable, but more complete as it stretches towards the horizon line as it’s color begins to fade giving it a feeling of depth.

        Lastly, the colors in the painting bring an appropriate feeling of serenity and composure. There is a huge emphasis of gold throughout the portrait, the right side of Venus is illuminated which allows the sun’s rays to brighten her golden curls with a slightly orange glow. This trend of gold continues throughout as the orange blossom on the tree in the middle ground is fringed with gold, the trees have some strokes of gold as well. When looking at Venus’s feet, the outer shell is dowsed with gold. It seems as though whatever comes in contact with the lovely goddess is sprinkled with this warm golden tint. The starkly white color in her body allows for a bit of contrast with the light blue of the sea, as well as the light blue of the ribbon in her hair. This blend of color in the sea, the ribbon, and the sky blends so perfectly giving a sense of completeness and harmony.