Earlier today I had my Art 212 History of Art: Renaissance to the Modern Age class. So far I like the class, not the teacher so much, but the class is good. But today something really got under my skin... We were discussing some early Renaissance pieces, the Primavera was one of them. I will admit, up front, that I really do not know that much about art pieces and their artists or any of the specific movements. That is why I am taking the class, to educate myself. But today we were discussing a piece that I actually knew alot about. Yea!!!! for me. (In case you haven't caught on, it is the Primavera) I first learned about this work way back in middle school. A literature teacher of mine actually had a copy framed on her wall. I was able to stare at this piece for three years, plus I was able to do several papers about and including this work of art. Anyway, so my Art Professora starts asking us questions about this piece and the artist and the time period. For every question she asks, I gave a response, and then she did that really annoying sound..."nnnaahhhh.... anyone else." I was mortified. For every answer I had, she made the sound, went to someone else and looked for other answers. Then she went on this rant on how she was disappointed that no one did the reading and that no one could give any accurate information on such an important piece.
That was BULL SHIT!!!!
She went on some descriptive rant about the piece, and no joke, everything she said was completely rediculous. It was like she never heard of roman mythology... She was saying how Venus was supposed to be a symbol for the Virgin Mary and that it was some kind of bridal scene.... yada, yada, yada......
Honestly people, it's not a complicated piece.
The following is an excerpt that I think puts it in perfect perspective...
The painting is set in a meadow complete with flowers and trees. It shows nine figures, all based on a mythological text. The man on the far left is Mercury. He is separating the clouds and moving the winter clouds away so spring can come. Cupid is above Venus and is known for his lack of morality and his attempts to take apart marriages. Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, is in the center of the picture surrounded by the Three Graces. Venus is elegantly dressed obviously reigning over the land. She is no longer the young girl in the painting Birth of Venus.
On the right, covered in flowers is Flora, the goddess of flowers and blossoms. The story about how Flora came into existence begins with her former self, Chloris. Chloris was in the woods when Zephyr, the wind god on the far right of the painting, found and raped her. To prove to Chloris that he was sorry for his violence, he married her and declared her Flora, the goddess of flowers. Botticelli depicted Chloris turning into Flora by literally painting flowers coming out of Chloris’ mouth. In this small detail, Botticelli was seen to have followed the mythology stories very closely. This story alone shows that this painting was meant to celebrate a marriage. Even the fact that Chloris was not the one to choose her mate reflects on the culture in the 15 th century. Many times, the woman had very little choice in the selection of her husband. The celebration of marriage is also shown because the garden is bursting with fruit and flowers that symbolizes the fertility expected in marriage.
Venus is the goddess who protects and cares for the institution of marriage. The myrtle plant surrounds her is traditionally thought of as the plant that represents sexual desire, marriage, and child bearing. Venus supports the fact that marriage is where sexuality is experienced, not before. The Three Graces also represent this. They portray the female virtues chastity, beauty and love. Their long, flowing coverings are characteristic of Botticelli’s painting style.
Also symbolic of love and fertility are the oranges growing in the grove. The Medici family had an orange grove on the family estate. The number of oranges Botticelli drew clearly represented the hope that this marriage would result in many offspring. Notice on the right side above Zephyr there are no oranges until the scene moves on and Flora is shown to be married and respected by Zephyr; only then will “fruit” be produced. The trees and fruit are mature showing that Venus has reached her own maturity. The land is being made fertile again after winter."
Do you see why I like this work so much???
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