Symbolism In The Birth Of Venus By Sandro Botticelli

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The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli depicts a moment from Venus birth when she stepping, almost floating, off the seashell that was blown ashore by Zephyors along with Chloris. Horae awaits Venus arrival to shore with a large red cloak to cover her naked body .Venus is the Roman goddess of love, sex, beauty, fertility, and prostitution. Venus is the Roman Aphrodite. Born of seafoam from a singled drop of blood in to the sea from the castration of her farther Uranus by his son Saturn. 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 …show more content…

Venus’s standing inside a large pearl colored seashell with golden edges, represents female genitalia giving a symbolic birthing scene, and has been blown ashore by Zephyors and Chloris who’s floating above the sea on the right of Venus. Zephyors is the god of the west wind ,his face shows strain from the power of his breath his cheeks inflated with air ,lips puckered , forehead wrinkled with by the force he’s expelling the wind. Zephyors skin is tan with long brown hair the same as the color of his angelic wings , his body is in a bracing pose with his arms pushed back with his hand opened his chest exposed and forced forward, his blue cloak tied around his neck is blown back from the winds wrapping around his right arm and pelvis. Zephyors left hand is wrapped around Chloris. Chloris is a nymph associated with spring and blossoming flowers, her arms are wrapped around Zephyors with her fingers intertwine on his right side her right leg is hooked on his upper left pelvis down to his knee. Chloris upper body is facing Zephyors with her head nearly touching his looking towards Venus, her mouth is slightly open face relaxed her eyes focused on Venus almost in awe of her beauty .Chloris cloak tied on her left shoulder rich dark green color with gold highlights draped over her body with her left breast exposed. Her skin …show more content…

Botticelli uses a vast number of techniques in this painting he uses the contrast of the figures with the dark outline of their bodies to have the pop off of the canvas, he used the robes and flowers to show the force and direction of Zephyors breath, elongated limbs to interest the viewer. Botticelli believed to have used the Golden ratio in this painting .The Golden Ratio or Phi (1.618) is basically creating and appreciating a sense of beauty through harmony and proportion. The Birth of Venus can be broken up into three vertical and horizontal, Zephyors and Chloris would be in the left, Venus in the center, and Horae to the right. The way Botticelli uses contrast to draw the viewer to the newly born deity with a dark outline around the body to show emphasis on her pale skin with soft pink or coral tones for shadow on the skin. The way he painted the hair as it gracefully drapes down to be gathered at her pelvis, by using mixture of a yellow ochre color to bring highlights and depth the goddess golden locks. Zephyors tanned skin glows against the soft blue from his silk like robe, Chloris clinging from him her pale skin emphasize his warmth .The use of drapery, waves, and even hair to show movement and direction, the darkness of the background and the bright

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