Sandro Botticelli
Renaissance Man, By Nathan Reagan
Biographical Details
* Born in 1445 in Florence, Italy
* Died at the age of 65 in Florence
* He worked in Florence, Italy, and received commissions from churches throughout the city, for his paintings, such as The Birth Of Venus.
* Was not only a skilled artist but a skilled poet too.
* He received his patronage from a powerful Medici family.
* He was the son of a Tanner, and was trained by a master who's name is not known.
* After 1490 he started to concentrate on paintings using smaller figures, using cutting contour lines.
* "Figures are designed and painted with plastic subtlety and confident mastery; they are incarnate with vitality, each seeming to have taken form unforced, imaged on wall or panel or canvas with resolute immediacy. Their scaling and the recession of their setting are in harmonious consonance, and the settings unfold themselves with a naturalness that conceals the artful skill of their devising." ( Ronald Lightbown)
* In his late years he became cripple, and lost commissions.
* After his death he fell out of fashion when Leonardo da Vinci fell an other artistes came around.
* He was known for his paintings, " Spring ", and " The Birth Of Venus ",
Work Cited: "Sandro Botticelli." Encyclopedia of World Biography. Detroit: Gale, 1998. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 1 Jan. 2013.
His Paintings
The Birth of Venus
Completed in 1486, shows the Goddess Venus coming form the sea as a fully grown woman.
Madonna of the Pomegranate
Completed in 1487, Botticelli painted the pomegranate in Mary's hand to show the symbolism of the Christ's Passion
Allegory of Spring
Completed in 1482 and was commissioned by a cousin of Lorenzo Medici. He became faithful of Botticelli's work.
The Birth Of Venus
* I find this piece interesting because of the detail in the women's body. Also that goddess caring the other woman.
* One of the worlds most famous paintings
* Commissioned by the Medichi
* This painting exemplifies 'Humanism' by showing to parts of the human body, it goes far beyond great detail to show the true beauty in the human body.
* The theme of this painting comes from Ovid's Metamorphoses, which is a Roman Poet.
* The Birth Of Venus was the first example of Tuscany in a painting done on a canvas.
* An alabaster powder was used to enhance the colors and the life of the painting.
Work Cited: "Uffizi Tickets: Online Reservation." The Uffizi Gallery The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli Comments. N.p., n.d. Web. 04 Feb. 2013.