The Birth of Venus
When you first view the canvas, you are initially struck by the ivory female figure that
appears to be carved from marble. Her soft, tranquil gaze welcomes you to the same place of
peace she is in. Her lush, golden hair spirals in the wind whilst she is balancing, or perhaps
floating, upon a massive shell. It is upon viewing the shell that my mind begins to question the
meaning behind it. Within this analysis, I would like to uncover the motivation for the creation of
the painting by Sandro Botticelli named, The Birth of Venus. This work was completed in 1486,
taking about two years to finish. Created with tempera on canvas, it is approximately five feet
seven inches high and nine feet wide.
With relation to the size of this work, the subject is essentially a full-size nude. She is
modestly covering her statuesque physique as a female to her left, the nymph, Pomona, greets
her with a regal, rose-colored gown adorned with delicate flowers and gold embroidered edges.
An interesting point made by Dr. Beth Harris in the Smarthistory video, is the difference in
Venus’ modesty versus Eve’s expressed shame in Masaccio’s Expulsion of Adam and Eve From
Eden (1425), considering their mannerisms are almost identical.
At the time this painting was produced, nudes were not common. Only in religious contexts
were they accepted, but not for beauty as in the Greco-Roman era. Botticelli’s choice to paint
Venus nude makes this painting a key catalyst at the beginning of the Renaissance. This painting
was commissioned by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco di’Medici. The Medici family funded and
encouraged the intellectual and cultural growth that became known as the Renaissance.
A unique trait of this work is that it is on canvas. At this time, most artists were painting on
wood, and the use of canvas was rather uncommon. It appears to give more texture to the
painting, which I noticed when I zoomed in.
There seems to be no mistake that Venus’ body truly looks like a statue. Botticelli referenced
classical statues to create the subject’s near-perfect physique. Upon closer examination, you will
notice that her left arm is longer than her right. Additionally, her neck is more swan-like than
human, giving her a more elegant and regal grace.
As she lightly poses upon the shell, my initial impression of this representation is a metaphor
for a pearl; smooth, flawless, illuminating beauty. Upon further investigation,
artdependence.com states a shell may represent ‘love and fertility,’2 which would be accurate
since Venus is in fact the god of love and fertility. There is also a reference to the ‘womb,’
plausible as this is the moment of her birth (gods can be born as adults).
To Venus’ right, Zephyr and Chlorus are blowing her toward the shore. These two stunning
creatures are entangled in a loving embrace, their side of the painting is showered in roses. I
think the initial response would be that the roses are reaffirming Venus’ delicate femininity,
however, I see that they are truly surrounding Zephyr and Chloris. The flowers emphasize their
love for each other as well as foreshadow Chloris’ future. Within their story in mythology, they
marry, and Zephyr turns Chloris into a deity, Flora- the goddess of Spring. This is displayed in
Botticelli’s sister painting, Primavera, Cloris is transformed into Flora before our eyes.
