Sandro Botticelli Italian painter Sandro Botticelli was one of the foremost talked-about artists during the early Italian Renaissance, well-known for his portrayal of the female figure. Even throughout the changes of his subjects -- from the whimsical pagan mythologies to the reverent Christian ideologies -- Botticelli was a master of his art. His personalized style was captured in each work, all elegantly executed on canvas with the influence of his patrons

Some have speculated that the work may have been commissioned by one of those families, and that the work was stored in a private residence, as opposed to being on display (the Birth, No date). In its historical context, Birth of Venus is important because it gives us a glimpse into the Italian psychology at the time. The painting shows that even as the church tried to exert total influence

The realism of proportion and position is a hallmark of the Late Renaissance/Baroque period. The sharp contrast between Christ and his surroundings, however, is a distinct and yet subtle influence of de Champaigne's Flemish training. Christ is very clearly and visibly defined, and there is no question that he stands out fro the other elements of the painting, scant as they are, appearing almost to have a three dimensional

Sandro Botticelli's painting, "Mars and Venus" typifies the Greek and Roman themes of the Early Italian Renaissance. The work shows Venus, the goddess of love, overlooking a sleeping Mars, the god of love. A clear depiction of the power of love over war, "Mars and Venus" is painted in muted tones and careful outlines, giving the painting a dreamlike feeling. General Description Born Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi in 1445 in Florence, Italy,

Here Mars is asleep and unarmed, while Venus is awake and alert. The meaning of the picture is that love conquers war, or love conquers all." (Cole, xx) the purpose of the work during the renaissance was mostly likely for a prominent individual's bedroom furniture or a piece of wainscoting. Some art connoisseurs have considered that the detailed wasps at upper right may have been a link to the popular

" Initially, the painters were given the assignment to create sample frescoes which were to be evaluated. On the basis of the evaluation, they were to be employed or not. However, their talent was rapidly acknowledged and they were commissioned to continue the work without any other testing. The individual scenes constitute a whole because they comprise typological references to one another. They present Moses as prefiguring Christ. We must