The Birth of Venus

The Birth of Venus is Botticelli’s masterpiece, it is said that this painting is painted for one of Medici’s distant cousin, and according to Arnold’s long verse. What the verse described about Venus is that she is the beauty of classical mythology god who born out of the water. This painting’s composition is relatively simple, which set Venus in the center. A large shell that holding her looks like a blooming flower, it floats toward the shore slowly in the help of Aeolus. While the god of spring Fauna welcome her at the shore with starry woven silk, waiting to put new cloth on the naked beauty of god. Venus is slender and fit, and her posture is

of Venus[/caption]

Actually, under strict ideological control in the Middle Ages, Venus, the god of love and beauty, was being considered as “the sirens of pagan.” But in the Renaissance, the Italian citizens who yearned for classical culture thought that she is a new era goddess like messenger brought beauties to man’s world. Consequently, Botticelli has the image to challenge religious asceticism, and he is the forerunner who set the naked goddess as the main image.

This painting employed light and shade technique of expression, emphasized the contour line at the some time, which made the body has a sense of relief, and increased the decoration in this picture. From the charming and nude goddess, what we could observe is a sense of spiritual beauty that making it originally a work with pagan theme become deeply touched our hearts.