How did in Botticelli inspiration
For his beloved Venus Sandro Botticelli took inspiration from classical mythology and a few verses by Angelo Poliziano, describing the birth of the goddess of love:
"a damsel
not with humanity face
from lascivious Zephyrs boost ashore
gir above a shell ".
Where is he
By 1815 Botticelli's Venus is located in the Florence of its author, at the Uffizi Gallery. Before that date, it belonged to the Medici, in the Villa di Castello, where he remained until 1761.
Before the Uffizi.
Venus was thought to be the girlfriend of Botticelli
Like all artists of the time also Botticelli used a model to paint Venus. There is speculation that this could be such Simonetta Cattaneo Vespucci, believed to be one of the most beautiful women of Florence, that Botticelli was romantically linked. Simonetta in birth of Venus is the Goddess that represents the ideal of feminine beauty seen as purity and nobility of soul.
Two years to achieve it
To complete the iconic opera house of Renaissance, Botticelli spent two years, from 1483 to 1485. The buyer was the cousin of Lorenzo Il Magnifico, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de ' Medici.
The meaning
The birth of Venus by Botticelli, is one of the most important secular allegories to understand the cultural climate of Florence by Lorenzo il Magnifico, who gathered at his court poets, intellectuals and the most important artists of the Renaissance . The Venus is, therefore, an ideal of beauty and perfection, which through the representation of the body and the proportion of each element becomes the ultimate example of the harmony of creation.
Who are the characters behind the Venus
The protagonist of the work is the goddess Venus, located in the Centre of canvas over a shell.
The goddess tries to cover herself with her hands, while the twenty Aura and Zefiro is pushing her with their breath to shore, where the wait for a girl with a cloak to cover it.
In this work everything is symbolic, are elements drawn from mythology or symbols that identify the characters.
For example, the blue anemone on the beach and near the foot of the girl dressed for believing that this is the time of spring.
Tips for visiting
To see Botticelli's Venus you have to enter in the Uffizi. Booking is advisable to avoid the queue at the entrance.
Just connect to the official site for ticket sales click HERE.
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