Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) was a renowned Florentine painter known for works like 'The Birth of Venus' and 'La Primavera', showcasing his distinctive style that favored decorative elements over realism. His life was marked by personal aversion to marriage, a significant relationship with Simonetta Vespucci, and later alignment with the fanatical monk Savonarola, which negatively impacted his career. Botticelli's paintings often reflected themes of love, beauty, and spirituality, bridging the ancient classical world with Renaissance ideals, while his legacy saw a revival in the 19th century.

1. Version 2
Botticelli
Most successful painter in late 15C, who
painted Venus and Madonna equally beautiful.
Sandro Botticelli c1445 - 1510
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Available free for non-commercial and personal use.
First created Jul 2010. Version 2.0 - 24 Oct 2016. Jerry Tse. London.
La Primavera

2. Painting by Fra Filippo Lippi, teacher of Botticelli
Botticelli’s Biography 1
Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) “The
Little Barrel”, was a native of
Florence. His real name is Alessandro
di Maiano Filipepi. He was the most
influential painter in Florence, in the
late 15C. He probably a student to
Fra Filippo Lippi.
Botticelli established his own
workshop in 1470. In 1481, he was
summoned by the pope to Rome to
do a painting for the Sistine chapel.
By the time he painted the Birth of
Venus and La Primavera, Botticelli
was at the height of his influence.

3. Botticelli’s Biography 2
Botticelli never married and
expressed a strong aversion to the
idea of marriage, a prospect he
claimed gave him nightmares. It is a
popular belief that he was in love
with Simonetta Vespucci (1453-
1476), who became known as the
most beautiful woman in Florence.
When asked Botticelli said that he
would like to be buried at her feet,
when he died. His wish was fulfil
some 34 years later.
In later life, he was a followers of
Savonarola, who ruled Florence in 1494
until he was overthrown in 1498. He was
known for his burning of books and
paintings, against the moral corruption of
the Renaissance Humanists. After that
Botticelli’s fortunes and his arts never fully
recovered. He finally died in obscurity and
poverty.Simonetta Vespucci painted by Botticelli 1480-85.

4. Timeline&hiswork

5. Botticelli’s style 1
He style was deliberately archaic, rarely showed much interest in perspective as his
contemporaries. His painting was more decorative, poetic and gracious than real. His figures
rarely casted a shadows. He used clear lines & contours, minimizing strong contrasts.

6. Botticelli’s style 2
His style was directly opposite to
that of Leonardo’s ‘sfumato’ style,
which used shading to give his
figure ‘solidity’ and reality.
Botticelli’s paintings (Life of Moses)
in the Sistine chapel also
demonstrated his clear visual
exposition of narrative skill and
theological subtleties.
It was mainly due to his style,
Botticelli went out of fashion later
in his life. He was rediscovered in
in the 19C and gained popularity,
supported by the like of the Pre-
Raphaelite movement. His
paintings ‘The Birth of Venus’ and
‘La Primavera’ are amongst some of
the best well-known images of
Renaissance paintings today.
Trial of Moses (Detail Shepard Girl)

7. The first life-size nude for a thousand years or
the birth of the freedom of expression

8. Venus was born out of the sea
foam, when Titan Cronus
castrated his father Uranus. The
severed genitals felt into the sea
and fertilizing it.
The Birth of Venus

9. Venus
The sea had just given birth to
a full grown Venus, just off the
coast of Cyprus. With help of a
fair wind of Zephyr (the god of
wind), Venus rode on a giant
scallop as she came on shore.
She was slightly aware of her
nakedness and covered her
beasts and genitals with her
hands, a pose that dated back
to the time of the ancient
Greek.

10. The way that Botticelli’s Venus covered
herself was derived from the Greco-
Roman statue of Venus de Medici, which
depicts the birth of Aphrodite. This was
a reference of Renaissance to its
ancient heritage.

11. The expression on her
face is one of serenity
and peacefulness whilst
bearing the unpolluted
beauty of her sexuality.

12. Venus (Aphrodite of Greek) is goddess of love, beauty and fertility. She always
represented the two aspects of love, the physical as well as the spiritual aspects of love.

13. Nymph
An attentive nymph appeared with a
gorgeous robe, embroidered with red
& white daisies, yellow primroses
and cornflowers to cover the naked
goddess as she came on shore.

14. A nymph was wearing a lavishly
decorated dress and a garland of
myrtle around her neck (a symbol
of Venus). She had a branch of
roses around her waist and
cornflower on her dress. She was
Hora, one of the goddess of
seasons.
Nymph

15. Chloris & Zephyr
The entwined bodies and
limbs of Zephyr (The West
Wind) and Chloris (a nymph)
flying through the air, as
Zephyr blows a fair wind to
carry Venus ashore.
All around them are falling
roses, as Venus came into
being, according to the
legend.

16. Chloris & Zephyr
Is the entwined bodies and
limbs of Zephyr and Chloris
shows a union of two people in
a loving relationship?

17. Botticelli’s Venus
As compared to Leonardo’s man,
Botticelli elongated Venus’ neck and
gave her a smaller head and a
slopping shoulder.
Venus shifted her weight well
outside her left foot, as if she was
falling out of the canvas into our
world.

18. A view on the Birth of Venus 1
The interpretation of painting is a lot simpler compare to
‘La Primavera’. The sea has just given birth to a fully
grown naked Venus. She was bought onto the shore by
help of Zephyr and Chloris. While aware her nakedness,
she is not too concern, whilst a nymph rushed forward
with a robe to cover the goddess.
The most significant fact is that this is the first life-size
(non-religious) nude painted in the West for a thousand
years, since the Roman Empire in honour of Venus.
Some critic saw this Venus as Botticelli’s challenge to the
church and the proclamation of artistic and scholarly
freedom, denied to them by the Christian Church.
Although this maybe the ‘untended consequence’, but
this was not his intention. Botticelli made most of his
money from the Church by painting Madonna. Given
what we know about Botticelli religious inclination, this is
unlikely. If there was an intention, it was statement of
reconnecting of the Renaissance world to the ancient
world, in particular the Greek.
This Venus which is a copy of the Birth of Venus, possible
came from his workshop. Gemaldegaleria. Berlin.

19. A view on the Birth of Venus 2
After the death of Lorenzo Medici. The fanatical monk
Savonarola rose to power in Florence with his fire and
brimstone sermons. He encouraged citizens to burn all
pagan works of books and paintings. Botticelli was one of
his followers, perhaps a sceptical follower (?). His
campaign to stamp out luxury and vice almost destroyed
the city. Even the Pope ordered him excommunicated.
The citizen of Florence rose and the fanatical monk was
burnt alive in the Piazza Della Signoria. Botticelli has
never recovered from this, his paintings became more
apocalyptic and showed stylistic regression. During this
episode even the Leonardo, Michelangelo and Raphael all
painted safer subjects.
But the flood gate has opened and the baton was passed
on to others, in particular to the Venetian painters. In this
way the painting became a milestone in the struggle of free
thinkers against the restricted practice of theological
doctrines. It marked the birth of the freedom of expression
in Europe.
This Venus from the painting, Birth of
Venus. Uffizi, Florence.

20. Comparison of the two Venuses
Workshop copy.
Gemaldegaleria.
Berlin.
From the painting
Birth of Venus.
Uffizi.

22. La Primavera
With Cupid
shooting arrows
Venus
While the
Three Graces
are dancing
Zephyr is
pursuing
Chloris
.. as
Chloris
Is
turning
Into
Flora
In the garden of
.. and
Mercury
keeps
the rain
clouds
away

23. Venus&Cupid
We found ourselves in the garden of a very
dignified Venus with her son Cupid shooting
arrows at the Three Graces. Although it was
Spring, yet the trees were full of leaves and laden
with fruits (golden apples?) and flowers. There are
some 500 flowers representing some 170 species.
Although she in the centre of the painting but
she look more confidence and reserved. Unlike
the ‘Birth of Venus’, this Venus has no sex
appeal compare to the Three Graces or the
attractive-ness of Flora.
She raised her right hand. Is this a blessing
gesture? Does she looks more like the Virgin
Mary? What about cupid, representing baby
Jesus?

24. Three
Graces
The Three Graces representing beauty,
desire and fulfilment. These sensual
revealing semi-nudes were dancing in a
circle, feeling the breeze from Zephyr,
as indicate by wafts of hairs.
Are the Graces in the garden celebrating
Spring or female beautiful or the
embodiment of love?

25. Three Graces
What intricate hair style?

26. Mercury
Was Mercury standing guard in the
garden, if so why? Using his caduceus
staff, he was steering the dark clouds
away from the garden or was he
pointing to the fruit of a marriage
consummation or fulfilment?
Why was he included in the painting
with his back turn away from everyone
else? Was he the massager who
bought us the secret knowledge of the
past? Or as some suggested Lorenzo
the Magnificent? Perhaps he maybe
even a homosexual turning away from
beautiful Graces?

27. Flora
Flora in her glorious embroidered
dress stepped forward to sprinkle
flowers, as she proclaimed the arrival
of Spring.
Flora was the rebirth of Chloris. It is
the beginning of a new life.

28. Flora
Have you seen her before?

29. Chloris & Zephyr
Zephyr blue with sinister rode in a
gust of wind pursuing Chloris,
clasping hold of her. While Chloris
with suspicious eyes was running
away from him at the moment of her
metamorphosis into Flora. Her breath
began to turn into flowers.

30. BirthofVenus
LaPrimavera
Chloris & Zephyr
The contrast between the two paintings on Zephyr and
Chloris cannot be more different. On the ‘The Birth of
Venus’ their entwined bodies suggests a loving
relationship.
On the ‘Primavera’ their relation is one of fear and
violence. In the legend, Zephyr marries Chloris after
raping her. It is a story of turning away from lust to a
everlasting relationship. Is this a statement on political
marriage?

31. A view on La Primavera 1
La Primavera (Spring) is one of the most written about and most
controversial paintings in Western arts. The difficulty in
interpretation the paintings is not so much about ‘who were
there’ but ‘why they were there’. The different groups of
characters seem to have no connection with each others. This
painting was commission in c1482. It was the first time a pagan
story had provided the subject of a major work in the
Renaissance, celebrating female beauty and grace
An interpretation of the painting is that it is a message (hence
Mercury) of love (by the presence of Venus). Love on one level
is the desire of beauty and fulfilment, (personified by the Three
Graces). While Zephyr personifies lust and sexual attraction of
love. The spiritual and physical nature of love combined, has
transformed Chloris into the happy Flora, who sprinkling of
flowers bought on the arrival of Spring, a season of renewal, as
a new generation lives appears.
Mercury stirring the cloud

32. A view on La Primavera 2
Recently, a 1498 document was discovered in the
archive suggesting that Primavera was commissioned
by no other than Lorenzo the Magnificent for a
loveless political marriage of his nephew
Pierfrancesco Medici in 1482. Thus a painting started
with a sexual violence ending in happiness on the
arrival of Spring, became a comforting message to the
teenage newlyweds. This painting is not the only
example of a sexual violence commissioned for the
consumption of a marriage. Botticelli painted a weird
series of four paintings, ‘Nastagio degli Onesti’ on a
similar themes of sexual violence leading eventually to
happiness.
If this interpretation is true then Venus is the goddess of love
as well as Madonna giving a blessing to the newlywed.
Mercury could well be Lorenzo the Magnificent pointing with
his staff to the fruit of the marriage.
Originally, not only the painting was
displayed in a bedroom. It was above a
sofa. This position was confirmed by the
sole of one of the Graces as view from
below. Does this made the Primavera a
high-class pornography?

33. Venus and Mars
The painting depicted Venus (the goddess of love) and Mars (the
god of war). The painting was probably commissioned by the
Vespucci family of Florence, as suggested by the a hive of wasps
painted on the upper right corner of the painting. There were four
baby satyrs playing with Mars’ armours and lance. One was
blowing a conch shell in his ear in an effort to wake him up. This
is the only Botticelli’s mythological paintings, that is outside of
Italy.

35. Venus had an affair with Mars. In the painting,
she was fully dressed with her hair well set. She
was alert with her dress fell softly in folds,
espouses her body. As Ficino put it “Venus
seems to master and pacify Mars but Mars never
masters Venus.”
Did you noticed that Botticelli painted Venus with
just one leg?
Venus is the personalisation of love

36. Baby satyrs playing with the lance and helmet.

38. Baby satyrs blowing a conch shell.

39. On the hand, Mars was naked and fell into a deep
sleep, unaware of all the noises and the baby
satyrs playing around him. An unimpressive Mars
contrasted with a spirited and pensive Venus.
Mars is the personalisation of war

40. Baby satyrs making noise with a conch shell.

42. This Venus is quite different from Venus in The Birth of Venus and in Primavera. She
is pensive and elegance.

43. The painting carried a message of “the power of Love over War”. It was an advice
given a newly wedded couple.
Love over war

44. One give away on the purpose of the painting, was its elongated format, which
suggested the painting was probably mounted on a dowry chest, called a Cassoni.

45. Madonna of the MagnificentMadonna of the Pomegranate
‘Venus at Birth’ Virgin Mary in
another form or homage to a
Florentine beauty?
Venus vis Mary
Venus was held in high regard by the Greeks and Roman. With the triumph of Christianity, she fell
from grace. By the 14C, the sculptor Lorenzo Ghiberti began to see statue of Venus, as work of
“great perfection”. This was the beginning of the rehabilitation of Venus.
In the ancient world Venus was worshipped as a god and the cult of Venus was widespread. During
the Middle Ages, the traditional symbols, like her roses were passed to the Virgin Mary, whose role
was utterly opposed. This is also true of her symbol, the shell.
The changing meaning of the symbols suggests the need of a dominant mythical female figures in
religion (another example of this is the role of Pacha Mama and Madonna in South America),
normally associated with fertility. In his paintings, Botticelli blurred the boundary even more with
similar looking Venus and Madonna.

46. Women of Botticelli
Botticelli women were always beautiful with
elaborate hair style, a pretty face and a slender
hour-glass body. They also have a quiet and
peaceful face, ideally suited for Madonna. His
women were there for us to worship.
Botticelli is painter of the perfect woman.
Return

47. Music ‘Love Theme from Romeo and Juliet’, composed by Nino Rota from the film ‘Romeo
and Juliet’ directed by Federico Fellini.
All these paintings share the same room
in the Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence.
The End

48. Italian Painters