I promise two scintillating write-ups this week beginning with Sandro Botticelli’s ‘The Birth of Venus’.   Here is a picture of the painting in all its glorious colour:

It is clear looking at Botticelli’s work that he perfectly understood human beauty.  ‘The Birth of Venus’ is deliciously exciting on many levels to the imaginative eye.

Look at the central figure of Venus herself.  Her hair is attractively flowing in the wind much like the famous fan blown pictures and videos we see of Supermodels today.  Venus is depicted with unearthly long golden blonde hair.  The curve of her pose is sensuous and evocatively powerful yet vulnerable also.

Her fashionable porcelain skin is detailed in fine shadow contrast and her neck is seemingly divine in its sinewy length.  Venus’ expression appears loftily distant and regal in equal measure.  A maidservant is in the midst of throwing a highly decorated gown over Venus.  Its fabric caught up in the wind of shapes that mirror Venus herself.

Venus’ topless modesty is only partially covered to our sight to add to the allure.  The ends of her golden hair discreetly over her ‘intimacy’ is reminiscent of ancient sculptures of goddesses and numerous Church paintings of Eve.  Venus travels mystically upon a large seashell and various flowers provide us with a distinct air of romantic eroticism.  I am quite sure that even the leaves on the trees are styled to evoke sensuality.

‘The Birth of Venus’ – when viewing erotic art of antiquity we cannot deny that intellectual and aristocratic peoples of the 15th Century were no less oblivious to understanding natural sexual urges in sophisticated ways at least as well as we are today.  This painting is the very personification and literal meaning of ‘high brow art’?

Art to raise the eyebrows for a surety.

The Zephyrs, whose legs are entwined rather impossibly on the left, blow in a west wind that captures Venus’ gown and hair so splendidly. The pastel palette colours completely take my breath away along with Botticelli’s composition and use of space.

For me this linearly exacting Renaissance style is a precursor for inspiration to artists such as Dali.  The darker edging of this painting draws our eyes in like the old black and white silent movie fade-ins. Very clever visual treatment indeed.

In ‘The Birth of Venus’ Sandro Botticelli created one of my favourite paintings.

My next Blog will include one of my all time favourite of favourites.