The Birth Of Venus Sandro Botticelli

The Birth of Venus (Fig.1) was painted by early Renaissance artist Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi Botticelli in 1486. Born in 1445 Botticelli was first trained as a goldsmith however decided to go against his family trade and pursue his love for art. He became an apprentice for Fra Filippo Lippi where he learnt his artistic skills, and by the age of 15 he opened up his own workshop. Sandro Botticelli’s work is categorised by creating clear, crisp contours yet with still strong distinguished details enabling his paintings to come alive. Unlike most Renaissance artists Botticelli was not afraid to challenge social norms by changing female and male stereotypes by making the woman the more dominant, powerful figure. Other paintings made by Botticelli include ‘Venus and Mars’, ‘Primeria’ and ‘Madonna of the Magnificat.’ (National Gallery 2015).

The Birth of Venus was thought to be commissioned by Lorenzo the Great who was part of the wealthy Medici family where the painting was kept in the Castello villa. The painting was produced on canvas; an unconventional medium at this time of the Renaissance (Google Art Project 2015). It is currently displayed in the Galleria Degli Uffizzi, Florence, Italy where it sits in good condition due to Botticelli making …show more content…
However you may argue that this has been done to make Venus stand out, as the audience should not be focussing on the setting. Sandro Botticelli has used only a pale colour scheme with little shadows used maybe to represent the purity of Venus (Marie - Hagen 2001). Most used colours include greens and blues creating a calming environment and a feeling of surrealism created to represent a sense of