Compare and Contrast: “The Birth of Venus” and “Le Dejeuner sur l'herbe”
When you look at the two paintings; “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli, and “Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe” by Édouard Manet; there are some similarities about the meaning of the works of art. However, there background and details are completely different. These paintings were created by two incredible artists, both known for their different formal and technical aspects. Respectively these paintings have a great history and legacy, since they were both created in different time periods and may have more in common than a person might think.
Sandro Botticelli, short for Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, is a well known Italian painter, from the early Renaissance.
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Botticelli’s father was a tanner who apprenticed Sandro to a goldsmith after his schooling was finished. But, Sandro preferred painting, his father then placed him under Filippo Lippi, who was one of the most admired Florentine masters. During his early years, Botticelli was first recognized as an independent master in 1470, because he executed his first securely dated painting, named Fortitude and completed the series of Seven Virtues. Then at the age of fifteen, Botticelli owned his own workshop which helped him form his Neo-Platonism artistic style. Neo-Platonism is a distinctive style, a method that helped him appeal to many tastes by including Christianity and paganism in his works because religion was huge during the Renaissance. Throughout his middle years, Botticelli reached his artistic and financial highpoint because of the Medici family. The Medics were on of the most important and wealthiest family from Florence. Botticelli money and fame grew even more when the Medics asked him to travel to Rome to paint parts of the Sistine Chapel. Which was considered to be a huge honor because some of the Renaissance's greatest artists, such as Ghirlandaio, Perugino and even Michelangelo also painted pieces of the Sistine Chapel. Botticelli's contributed three large pieces and several portraits in the Sistine Chapel. Botticelli’s advanced years were tough on his artwork because Girolamo Savonarola, an Italian Dominican friar and preacher active in Renaissance Florence, burned Botticelli’s art. Although Botticelli was a well-known altarpiece painter, he began to struggle, keeping up with revolutionary change in art during this time. Then new recognized artist such as Leonardo Di Vinci and Michelangelo pushed Botticelli out of the spotlight. Botticelli moved to his hometown and continued to work on personal paintings until his death. However over the years Botticelli’s paintings have been historically recognized as glory art work. “The Birth of Venus” is beige, pitch, sky-blue, and greenish; muted colors, and stands at sixty-seven inches high and a little less than a hundred and ten inches wide.
“Venus is the Roman goddess, whose functions encompassed love, beauty, sex, fertility, prosperity and desire,” one of Botticelli’s most appreciated artworks ("Venus (mythology)"). In “The Birth of Venus,” Venus is portrayed naked on a giant shell near the seashore; on her left the winds blow gently fondling her hair with a shower of flowers, on her right a handmaid (Ora) waits for the goddess to go closer to dress her shy body. Venus seems to be shy about her nude body because of the body language she shows; her gentle, long arm awkwardly covers her breasts while her long hangs down over her women hood. The oceans horizontal line in the background makes the painting so much more peaceful. The shells shadow reflects onto the ocean, but everything else is bright which represents value. “The Birth of Venus” is a positive portrait due to the fact that the colors are bright and everyone comes forward making the ocean background. The three sections that come forward in the painting are on the left, the guy and girl flying and blowing wind, in the middle Venus on the shell, and on the right the lady along the seashore and land come forward. Although the everyone in the painting comes forward the painting is still a two-dimensional portrait. The texture of the painting seems to be soft and smooth due the …show more content…
naturalistic shapes meaning that the artist must of used Tempera paint since the brush strokes are clear. Édouard Manet is a well known French painter and printmaker who led the French transition from realism to impressionism. Mante father who was a high-ranked judge, was not supportive of Mante’s dreams to become an artist. However his uncle Edmond Fournier was very supportive, he would even arrange trips so that Manet could go to the Louvre Museum in Paris; one of the world's largest museums and historic monuments. Eventually Manet's Father gave in and supported his dream of attending art school. After six years as a student, Manet finally opened his own studio. During his early career, Manet married a Dutch woman named Suzanne Leenhoff, who had been Manet’s piano tutor when he was a child. There were also rumors about his wife being Manet’s father’s mistress. They later had an infant son named Leon Koella Leenhoff who posed for his father in 1861 for his painting "Boy Carrying a Sword." Manet’s wife also posed for several of his paintings, such as “The reading.” Throughout his mid-career Manet continued to create beautiful pieces of art in the hopes of gaining acceptances. In 1870, Manet also painted the tragedies and triumphs of the Franco-German war. He served as a soldier during the War and observed the destruction of Paris. Due to the war in Paris, Manet's studio was partially destroyed, but fortunately an art dealer named Paul Durand-Ruel bought everything piece of art he could save from the wreckage. “Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe,” is black, gray, brown, baby blue, dark green, and skin colors; mostly a close palette because there's limited colors.
The official French academy rejected this painting from being displayed not because of the naked female form there was a lot of those since the Renaissance but because of their presence in a modern setting, accompanied by clothed, bourgeois men. The two women were unclothed in the forest near a lake, most likely far from any walking distance, because there was a boat in the lake that they probably took to get to their private area. This suggests that the women were not goddesses, but possibly prostitutes. It’s difficult to notice any lining in this painting since it’s so dark, but if you look closely at the wealthy's man's cane to the far right, you can see a diagonal line along with some of the tree branches. The dark shadows from the trees and people make up the value of the painting, which also makes most of the portrait negative since most of the space is dark. However the bright baby blue from the women's dress pops out making the space somehow positive. The painting seems to be a three-dimensional shape because the basket, women, and fruit come forward and pop out, there are also some triangular shapes in the movement such as the wealthy man to the rights bent leg. “Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe” is an oil painting due to the brush strokes for the grass and trees making the texture
realistic. When you look at the two paintings; “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli, and “Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe” by Édouard Manet; there are many similarities. One major comparison is the naked female form both portraits share; nudity glorifies the beauty of the human figure. Both paintings have the human figures come forward and water in the background. Although their color schemes are completely different they both have bright blue colors and their textures have detailed brush strokes making the paintings more realistic. The two paintings have a daytime setting since they both have sun light and the figures in both portraits reflect from the sun causing shadows that give the painting as whole, value. These works of art share similar spiritual and moral overtones, but each painting speaks for itself.
Venus is a term that has long been associated with artwork, most specifically the classical forms of beautiful women. The term Venus has also come to represent female sculptures of the Paleolithic era. The most notable of these female sculptures is the Venus of Willendorf, 24,000-22,000 BCE. The age of the figurine has been changed several times. Originally when found the date was estimated to be 15,000 to 10,000 BCE. During the 1970’s the time period was adjusted to 25,000 to 20,000 BCE; the date was again recalculated in the 1980’s to 30,000 to 25,000 BCE; the most recent estimate of age was in the 1990’s and was placed at 24,000 to 22,000 BCE after scientific research was performed on the rock stratification. This statuette was discovered by Josef Szombathy in 1908 near the town of Willendorf, Austria, in an Aurignacian loess deposit, which loosely defined is a yellow brown loamy geological deposit dating to the Paleolithic period. The name Venus was first associated with the figurine as a joke. The small, crudely carved statuette of an obese woman contrasts heavily from the graceful classical forms of sculpture such as Aphrodite of Cnidos, Praxiteles, 350 BCE. Although it would be difficult to associate the word beautiful with this statuette, there can be no doubt that it reflects the female form. The statuette has also been known as “la poire” or “the pear” due to its size and shape and more recently was donned the Woman from Willendorf. The removal of the title Venus served to take away the figurine’s status of goddess and lower it to the human level, therefore allowing more consideration of the figurine’s purpose (Witcombe, sec. 3).
Botticelli received inspiration from the Florentine poet Angelo Poliziano’s poem “Stanze per la Giostra” then painted on canvas using tempera (Encyclopedia of Art
The painting is organized simply. The background of the painting is painted in an Impressionist style. The blurring of edges, however, starkly contrasts with the sharp and hard contours of the figure in the foreground. The female figure is very sharp and clear compared to the background. The background paint is thick compared to the thin lines used to paint the figures in the foreground. The thick paint adds to the reduction of detail for the background. The colors used to paint the foreground figures are vibrant, as opposed to the whitened colors of the Impressionist background. The painting is mostly comprised of cool colors but there is a range of dark and light colors. The light colors are predominantly in the background and the darker colors are in the foreground. The vivid color of the robe contrasts with the muted colors of the background, resulting in an emphasis of the robe color. This emphasis leads the viewer's gaze to the focal part of the painting: the figures in the foreground. The female and baby in the foreground take up most of the canvas. The background was not painted as the artist saw it, but rather the impression t...
The difference is that one is considered a goddess and the other is known to be a prostitute. The goddess is depicted with a chunky body and the prostitute's body has a sensual nature. She is lying on an oriental stole on a couch. She is wearing pearl earrings, a choker around her neck, and a bracelet on her arm, a flower in her hair and the kind of shoes she has on confirms the idea that she is a lady of the night life, along with the black cat that symbolizes that she is a prostitute. Another difference is that there's a maid standing right next to her fully dressed. as if to make you more aware of her nudity. She is holding flowers and has a blank look on her face. The public or the critics could not accept or understand why he would replace a goddess with a prostitute. Also it was not the nudity that appalled people; this was common and had been for centuries but only in a different perspective. The viewers were scandalized by the brazen look on her face. It had more of a bold challenging look. The painting made a bold stand and was too much to accept. The people were so upset by it that the administration had to take extra safety measures to keep the
The composition of this painting forces the eye to the woman, and specifically to her face. Although the white wedding dress is large and takes up most of the woman’s figure, the white contrasts with her face and dark hair, forcing the viewer to look more closely into the woman’s face. She smokes a cigarette and rests her chin on her hands. She does not appear to be a very young woman and her eyes are cast down and seem sad. In general, her face appears to show a sense of disillusionment with life and specifically with her own life. Although this is apparently her wedding day, she does not seem to be happy.
It is determined the Antonine Woman as Venus is a woman of aristocratic status. The portrait is made of fine-grain marble, a medium only upper-class persons could afford. Also, only persons of wealth could afford to have such a protrait made. The woman is portrayed as Venus, a goddess who is connected to the imperial family, and members of a royal family would often have themselves depicted as a deity. (De Puma 26) We know she is being portrayed as Venus because of her bare breast and the upper-arm ring. The bare breast is a key to Venus because she is the goddess of sexuality and desirability. The upper arm ring can be an attribute of Venus as the Statue of Aphrodite (Venus) by Praxiletels displays the same jewelry on a nude body. (Fantham 175)
Knowing Venus of Willendorf is a sculpture, she has very nice defined lines. She has a nice combination of vertical, horizontal and curved lines. The artist has given her a nice horizontal line crossing across her breast that her arms create that draw you in. From the horizontal line to the vertical line that draws your eye down to look at her genitalia. She also has nice curved lines that form all around her. From the top of her head, to her breast, to the middle of her stomach, that bring your eye to her behind and back to the front of her legs. The artist has created a nice curved lines that surrounds her breast, as well as her stomach and rear hind. Another way to view her is from the side, which gives you a nice sense of her curved lines that you eye follows down in a flow.
Raphael’s painting is arranged with the Madonna in the middle and the two infants placed in her arms and at her feet, allowing for them to capture the viewer’s attention as well. There is no one focal character, as each is placed to draw attention to all three of the characters as a whole, something that is not seen in Titian’s Venus of Urbino. In Titian’s, Venus of Urbino, Venus is clearly intended to be the main focal point, whereas the two other characters in the background are meant to support but not overpower Venus herself. The differentiation between these two character placements in each painting is extremely important when it comes to determining the overall meaning and understanding what the artist was trying to portray with their works of
The Venus of Willendorf and the Venus de Milo are two ancient day venus sculptures representing two different views on beauty. The Venus of Willendorf is a small 4.5 inch limestone figure of a Goddess which is believed to be used as a fertility symbol, while the Venus de Milo is a tall ancient Greek statue of a Goddess which is said to represent love and beauty. The Venus of Willendorf’s body structure is very different than that of Venus de Milo. The venus of Willendorf appears to be a short lady with a large emphasis on her reproductive organs, breasts and stomach area whereas the Venus de Milo appears to be very tall with smaller breasts, and a really athletic build. She appears to have abs and looks as if she has not had children before, while the Venus of Willendorf looks like she has had children due to her huge breasts and stretched out belly button. The Venus
Peter Paul Rubens’ masterpiece, Venus and Adonis, is not only a significant artwork of the baroque-period in Europe during the 17th century, but it also tells the mythological story that begins with love, and ends in tragedy. Displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this painting is admired for representing the unique baroque-style of this era, as well as Rubens’ particular use of the medium and how it reaches those who are viewing it. His attention to detail and crafty use of symbolism within the painting assist viewers in deciphering the story, along with the values of the time period in which Rubens was living. In studying the composition of the work and noting the historical context from which it came, one can ultimately understand Rubens’ point-of-view and thus, connect to the painting in a way he or she has never imagined.
I choose to look at the painting “The Toilet of Venus” or more commonly referred to as “The Rokeby Venus” by Diego Velalazquez. The “Rokeby” part came into effect, because the painting was originally displayed in the Morritt Collection at Rokeby Hall in Yorkshire, before being moved to its current home in the National Gallery. Diego Velazquez was born in Seville in 1599, and went on to become one of the most brilliant and influential painters ever to come from Spain. He lived in Madrid for most of his adult life, and was employed as a court painter. Throughout his career, he tackled a wide variety of subjects, such as landscapes, scenes from real life, and mythological/religious figures. He was a master realist who excelled at capturing essential features upon the canvas. He painted “The Rokeby Venus” between 1647 and 1651, and was his only nude portrait, as well as the first one in Spain, at that time. Initially the painting met with some disapproval, especially from the Church, since it was a nude, but eventually the work received great praise, and became known, as being one of the most beautiful and significant portrayals of Venus in the history of Western Art.
Botticelli depicts Venus standing a relaxing pose with long golden wavy hair that falls to her knees skin blemish free and pale as the seafoam she’s born from with one hand (right) gently placed over her right breast she uses the other (left) grasping for
The Birth of Venus is a beautiful Renaissance canvas masterpiece created by Sandro Botticello. The picture illustrates the birth of Venus in a very mystical way. Venus has emerged from sea on a shell which is being driven to shore by flying wind-gods. She is surrounded by beautiful roses which are painted in a truly remarkable color. As she is about to step to land, one of the Hours hands her a purple cloak. The back drop includes the sea and a forest. The overall effect of this painting are almost overwhelming, color and beauty meet the eye in every angle.
‘Vénus Anadyomène’ is a fourteen line sonnet, made up of two quatrains and two tercets, written by Arthur Rimbaud towards the end of 1870. He gives his interpretation of the eponymous painting which portrays Venus rising from the sea. Rimbaud aimed to confront the quotidian forms of alienation: repetitiveness, apathy and boredom. To this end, obfuscation would become key to his poetic strategy along with allegorical descriptions, bursting with loathing for conventionalism and inertia . Despite Rimbaud providing the conventional, beautiful representation of the goddess in "Invocation to Venus" and "Sun and flesh,” ‘Venus Anadyomene’ is a complete contrast.
In history, there were two paintings that were very similar yet different. One was called the “Mona Lisa” which was painted by one of the most famous artists of the renaissance, Leonardo da Vinci. The other painting was called “Portrait of a Lady” by the flemish artist, Van der Weyden. They both were a huge influence in the art world during their lifetimes. And even after their deaths, their lives and works continue to inspire the minds and hearts of each generation.