¶ … Birth of Venus" and "Venus Anadyomene"
Sandro Botticelli's 1486 painting "The Birth of Venus" and Titian's 1520 painting "Venus Anadyomene" are two of history's most remarkable works depicting the Roman goddess. While the former is meant to address Venus' birth directly, the latter only hints at the event, as it is difficult to determine whether or not Titian actually wanted to portray the goddess' birth or if he simply wanted to show her rising from the sea consequent to having a bath. Botticelli's painting is displayed in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy and Titian's painting is located in the National Gallery of Scotland in Edinburgh, Scotland.
According to classic mythology, Venus was born from the foaming waters of the sea, a foam that formed from the genitals of Uranus, who had them cut off by his son, Cronos, and thrown into the sea. Venus' birth is associated with a shell that is meant to parallel her appearance from the sea.
Background for each painting
Botticelli painted the artwork during the 1480s and the fact that it stood right across from the Primavera (Botticelli's 1482 artwork) in the country villa belonging to the Medici family during the 16th century influenced many to believe that the paintings were designed to work together in putting across a message. Its presence at the location during the 16th century also points toward the belief that it had been commissioned by the Medici family, probably even for Lorenzo the Magnificent, one of the family's most renowned members. "The man who commissioned them was probably Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, a second cousin and a ward of Lorenzo the Magnificent, for whom Botticelli certainly executed in the early 1490s a famous set of drawings illustrating Dante's Divine Comedy." (Bergin & Speake, 2004, p. 66)
Titian was well-acquainted with the fact that Apelles, a renowned painter in Ancient Greece, had painted a portrayal of Venus in association with the sea and a shell. As a consequence, he got actively involved in creating a work that would rival Apelles' and that would influence viewers to...
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