Mythology has been part of the people for a long time now. People have adopted stories that make it possible to enlighten on how some aspects used to be in the past. Myths are aspects that form part of every culture, and are mostly used to give a meaning to varying issues. Since the inception of art, artists have developed the tendency of being influenced by myths in the development of varied artworks. To some extent, the artworks have remained as the only surviving records of the values that a particular culture upheld. “Myths originate from varied sources including personification of nature and hyperbolic or truthful accounts of historical events” (Hansen 11). Mythology exhibits a role in providing answers to many questions that concern human existence. Sandro Botticelli adopted the art of mythology in developing his artworks.  “The Birth of Venus” gives a good depiction of this aspect. Botticelli developed the painting to showcase women as being the bearers of love, demonstrate aspects of modesty, the giving of birth and the ‘rebirth’ of humanism in the Middle Ages.

Sandro Botticelli was an Italian painter involved with the Roman mythology. In most of his paintings he used Venus of a representation of the goddess of beauty, sex, fertility and love. He is presumed to have been trained as a goldsmith originally. However, he was later trained how to paint by Fra Fillippo Lippi in Florence. Botticelli had developed his own workshop by 1470. In his early age, Botticelli incorporated a Neo-Platonism style; which helped him to have an appeal to many tastes by including paganism and Christianity in his works. “Botticelli reached his financial and artistic high point during his middle years” (Gill 67). He had developed contacts and gained fame through the patronage of the Medici family. The influence that the Medici family had increased Botticelli’s popularity when he was asked to paint parts of the Sistine Chapel. Getting such an opportunity showed the honor with which his work was held. However, his achievements decreased during his advanced years.

“The Birth of Venus” was painted around the 1480s by Sandro Botticelli. The medium used for the painting is tempera on canvas. The painting falls under the mythological genre during the early Renaissance art movement. “The Birth of Venus” was painted during a period when canvas had started to gain acceptance since it worked favorably in humid areas. An image that resembles a goddess has been placed at the middle of the painting stepping on a shell. Venus has been depicted as being nude, positioned slightly to the right of the seashell. She has been isolated from the background to ensure that there are no figures that overlap her. Venus’ head is slightly tilted, and substantial attention has been given to her hairstyle. The style reflects Botticelli’s interest on how women used to make their hair during the late fifteenth century. Venus has been painted with an idealized face since it is beautifully shaded and free of blemishes.

“The Birth of Venus” has depicted Venus as being of divine love. The sense is perceived by examining the painting with an analytical perspective. She appears graceful and so perfect. Facial features have been stylized to showcase perfection. Botticelli has exaggerated the length of her legs and neck to help bring the attention of the viewers to her beautiful features (Sorokowski 1429). Given the position that she has assumed, it would be impossible to stand upright. The scene appears to be that of fantasy as it helps demonstrate Venus as being more desirable. She represents an ideal Renaissance woman given that she is pale, thin and curvy.

The painting also demonstrates aspects of modesty. Venus’ hand and hair cover certain areas of her body to demonstrate aspects of modesty. There is the attempt of trying to avoid indecency from the woman. The action can also be interpreted as that of a virgin woman given the covering of those areas. Virginity was a desirable trait from a woman during the fifteenth century (Di Serio 591). Men coveted their women to be pure and untouched. As a result, it was a taboo for the women to indulge in sex before marriage.

The composition of the painting works to show that Venus is the most important figure in this picture. To begin with, she has been placed in the middle. Her image might not be larger compared to the others, but the placement at the center works to show her importance in the painting. The shell also works in attracting attention towards Venus. There is the presence of a large mass that is demonstrated with the shell, and this is likely to allure the attention of the viewers in noticing her figure. The figure is also detailed and bold making it hard for viewers to even notice the background when first assessing the painting.

The shell could also be viewed as a giver of life. To some extent, it represents the female genitalia.  Venus appears to be coming from within the shell. The shell crafts a birthing scene that shows Venus originating from the ocean with a connection to the human birth.

The painting also acts as an affirmation of the “rebirth”. Most of the artworks during the Middle Ages were inspired by Christianity. The aspect meant that it was rare to portray nudity. However, the renewed interest in re-establishing the myths of ancient Rome was inspired by the emergence of humanism (Armstrong 52). The resurrection of nudes was expected as a result.

In conclusion, mythology has influenced the development of varied artworks over the years. Sandro Botticelli embraced this concept in his artworks during the 15th century. He was an Italian painter born in 1445, and he had developed his own workshop by 1470. In the 1480s, Botticelli painted “The Birth of Venus” that fell under the mythological genre. The painting depicts Venus as being of divine love as she appears as being graceful and so perfect. The aspect of being modest is also visible from the painting as Venus tries to cover her private areas to avoid being indecent. “The shell that she stands on comes out as being a giver of life as it can be equated to the female genitalia as Venus emerges from there” (Armstrong 54) . The painting also signified the emergence of humanism that resulted to the resurrection of nudes associated with the mythology of ancient Rome. This artwork depicts the mythology of how women used to be viewed in ancient Roman myths. Use of mythology had been adopted by varied painters and sculptors to help give a meaning to their artworks.

Works Cited

Armstrong, Isobel. New Feminist Discourses: Critical Essays On Theories And Texts, Volume 2. 1st ed., London, Routledge, 2012,.

Di Serio, Ángela et al. “Impact Of An Augmented Reality System On Students’ Motivation For A Visual Art Course”. Computers & Education, vol 68, 2013, pp. 586-596. Elsevier BV.

Gill, Meredith Jane. Augustine And The Italian Renaissance: Art And Philosophy From Petrarch To Michelangelo. 1st ed., Singapore, Cambridge University Press, 2005,.

Hansen, William. Classical Mythology: A Guide To The Mythical World Of The Greeks And Romans. 1st ed., Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2005,.

Sorokowski, Piotr. “Did Venus Have Long Legs? Beauty Standards From Various Historical Periods Reflected In Works Of Art”. Perception, vol 39, no. 10, 2010, pp. 1427-1430. SAGE Publications.

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