225 Blog 3

In this journal entry, I will take a look at the iconology of The Birth of Venus, a painting by Sandro Botticelli.
The true meaning of this painting is a matter of debate. It is not known why it was painted, though it is said that it was created sometime around 1485-1487. The image in The Birth of Venus is very similar to the description of a scene in a poem by Angelo Poliziano. Though there is no document of the entire and exact content of the painting, it is clear that Venus is the focal point. Venus is a Roman goddess associated with love, beauty, and fertility. She is also often used to create sexual desire. In the painting, she is shown emerging from the sea as a woman, arriving at the shore on a massive sea shell.
Venus is depicted as an image of beauty. Blonde, pale skin, and voluptuous, the goddess is shown as an Italian Renaissance ideal woman. Also, the beautiful gardens, flowers being cast over Venus, and the soft draperies over the other figures show that this painting is meant to invoke pleasure in the viewer. It is believed that the viewer is meant to feel a physical response when viewing Venus, which in turn lifts their minds towards God. The image of the most beautiful of all goddesses should create the feeling of divine love in its onlookers.
This painting also has a very unreal look to it, creating the divinity of the scene. Venus stands in a position that is physically impossible to hold. Also, she stands on the edge of the shell, which would surely tip if it was obeying the laws of physics. Looking at the other subjects of the painting, it is clear that the wind has no discernable direction. The figures cast no shadows, as if they produce their own light.