Digital Design

The Birth of Venus is a universally known painting that was commissioned by Lorenzo di Pier Francesco de ’Medici. The artist who painted it, Sandro Botticelli, has also painted many more artworks that reached fame. The Birth of Venus was painted on a canvas panel with tempera in horizontal format. Tempera is a paint that was frequently used before the making of oil paints, which is made from diluted egg yolks and pigment. Without an exact date, it is estimated that it was painted around 1484. This is a rather large painting, which wasn’t unusual for it’s time, with its dimensions being 5′ 8″ x 9′ 2″, it is taller than a portion of people. The Birth of Venus is currently located at the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

Venus, the Roman goddess of love, is depicted nude. She is standing in a shell on the sea that is being blown onto land by the west wind, Zephyr. Zephyr is holding a nymph by the name of Chloris in his arms. Venus is then welcomed to the land by one of the Horai, who is waiting to dress the newly born Goddess in a flower covered robe. There are slightly pink roses flowing in the wind, and on land there are many thin trees on the island of Cyprus.

The weather depicted isn’t exceptionally sunny, it is cloudy, which creates a diffused lighting. This results in a soft shadow that is present, instead of a very harsh shadow. The colors are a mix of light and dark values. The darker values are presented in the trees and the deeper shadows around the base of the shell. The colors aren’t oversaturated or extremely vibrant, but the balance between them creates a feeling of renewal, or freshness. The lines and shading create a very contrasted matter of subject. The painting seems flat, as if it were people standing in front of a backdrop. There is little to no sense of space in the background. The figures are well shaded for tempera, which dries fast, making it hard to blend efficiently. The lack of space does not deter the beautiful detail. Every lock of hair feels carved to perfection, whilst every piece of flowing fabric seems almost too realistic to be painted. The linework is natural with the occurrence of exaggerated curves. Boticelli did a fantastic job at achieving this realism with the textures. This can be seen within many parts of the painting; the hair, the skin, the cloth, the water, the trees, and more.

The main focal point of the painting is Venus. She is shown in a pose meant to represent modesty, covering her genitalia with her hair and her chest with her hand. The way she is standing is actually not possible in real life. Her weight is shifted sideways on one foot, and usually the rib cage would hover the opposite way, but the torso sits directly above her pelvis. If someone were to try to pose the way Venus is, they would simply fall over.

Venus is the focal point because she is centered in the middle of other figures. She is also nearly making eye contact with the viewer of the painting. This causes the viewer to look at her first. The mythical beings on either side of her are shown from a side view of their faces, while Venus is the only front-facing character. This creates a sense of directional lines because the viewer would follow their eyes and look upon Venus, just as the beings are. The Horai’s open arms are facing Venus which also helps create directional force. Another thing that draws the viewer to see Venus first is her disproportionate body. Her neck is far too long to be anatomically correct. The angle of which her shoulders are slanted also seem disproportionate, but is less noticeable compared to her neck.

There is unity within The Birth of Venus that is built because of the similar colors, the composition, the naturally curving lines, and the way the space was used. The color palette shows a lot of neutral colors and less vibrance. There aren't any colors that roam outside of the set palette. No colors are bolder or brighter than others. The composition is balanced by the figures and the way they were placed. You can see that Venus is not directly centered, but is more towards the right of the painting. If she would have been directly centered, the left side would appear too crowded because there are two figures in the left half. The two figures on the left side are balanced by a single figure, the Horai, along with the trees behind her.

The horizon line is somewhat higher than the center line. This helps create balance and unifies the offset vertical composition. The lines used in the painting create a sense of unity because they are all flowing and natural. If bold or jagged lines were to have been used anywhere, it would stand out and cause the painting to not be as unified. The artist balanced the space well with the placement of the figures and landscape.

The Birth of Venus is a very realistic painting. The anatomy of the people has tons of details in the muscles and fat areas. All things within the painting are of realistic proportion in relation to one another. There is a sense of movement with a mix of the directional forces and the way Zephyr is blowing wind. The clothes and hair are all blewn the same direction. You can almost feel the wind pulling your eyes to the right of the canvas.

Botticelli created The Birth of Venus to represent Neoplatonic ideas. He does this by showing the nude Venus as a symbol of divine love and femininity. This painting was controversial at the time. Botticelli went against many normalities while painting this. Nude paintings of women were shown as shameful or humiliating in the Middle Ages because of the Christianity uprising. So nothing like this had been seen since nearly Ancient Greek/Roman times.

Botticelli painted Venus as his own idea of the idealized woman. He gave her a blemish free, symmetrical face. He gave her beautiful long and golden hair out of his own preference. For reference of Venus’s body, Botticelli turned to the Aphrodite of Cnidus. They have similar body types and a nearly identical pose.

Something unusual about this painting is that the normality at the time was to use wood instead of canvas or canvas panel. Canvas was really only used for pieces that would have been showcased somewhere like a church or home of someone rich.

This painting is like a window that leads to an alternate dimension. The realism is beautifully portrayed. This art makes me feel nostalgic. It was one of the peaks of the Renaissance, and one of the many popular pieces that was a result of the Renaissance. This painting intrigues me and makes me want to learn more about Roman mythology, as I am sure it would others too.

The Birth of Venus was inspired by a Homeric hymn from 1488 that was written by Demetrios Chalcondyles. It was also inspired by classical statues and ancient mythological figures. It belongs to the Renaissance art movement. The Renaissance was a time heavily influenced by ancient Greek and Roman artwork and statues.

I really like this piece, mainly because I am interested in mythology. I first learned about this painting in Art History class. The best part of it to me is the meaning and symbolism within it. There is just so much to uncover that goes beyond what you see. If I were making this, I would not do anything differently if possible. Every last detail added a unique touch to it that could never be replaced.

I think that this artwork is very well designed and organized because of the sense of balance you can feel. The craftsmanship is good. The artwork is original but heavily influenced. The artist is incredibly well known as a popular Renaissance artist. The medium used was not unusual for its time, but the base was since it was canvas. This work did definitely influence other artists and eras way ahead of its time. The painting is said to be owned by the Medici family, which was a great help to Botticelli during the Renaissance for investing money in his art. You can easily tell this is a Renaissance painting due to its style. The Birth of Venus is considered an important piece and a great part of history because of its groundbreaking differences and influence to later generations.

My Replica of The Birth Of Venus