Beauty Herself

Since we are lovers of beautiful things, it's only fair to pay homage to the goddess of beauty herself - Venus. Also known as Aphrodite among the Greeks, she is the epitome of grace and beauty who has series of stories of love and violence in both Roman & Greek mythologies. When I try to think of art based on her, the first one to brush my mind is The Birth of Venus by Alessandro Botticelli.

Why this painting in particular, you ask? A Neoplatonic philosopher from the time of Renaissance sitting in Florence would raise their chalice and say that revering her beauty, in her most vulnerable form is a way to elevate the human spirit and step closer to the divine. Naturally, it draws attention and fascination alike.

This painting demands to be esteemed, if not for the elegant artistry, then absolutely for its theatrical representation of a tiny moment in time in such an animated way. Before explaining why, you have to know the quite odd story behind it though. Let's go over it in a jiffy: Venus was born - out of the the sea-foam (or aphros in greek - hence she is also Aphrodite) so says one of the earliest Greek poets Hesiod, according to whom the same happened as God Uranus was castrated by his son Cronus and his disembodied genital upon falling in the sea, somehow fertilised it. Yes, that's violent and weird. The artwork though, portraits the aftermath - when it all had happened and Venus now must reach dry land.

Let’s look at it shall we?

The Birth Of Venus (c. 1485) by Sandro Botticelli. Tempera on canvas. Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Image Source Wikimedia Commons.

It is thought that Botticelli created the painting based on Venus de' Medici - an ancient sculpture that holds the same posture of Venus. If we follow the storyline, Venus has just arrived from the sea on a seashell. A nymph is here to welcome her. She is most likely to be one of the Horas or the Hours- the personification of seasons who were also handmaidens of Venus - in this instance, Spring. She is carrying a beautiful piece of cloak for Venus to be draped in. But the same wind that pushed Venus ashore, thanks to the breath of God of west wind - Zephyr, blows the cloth away from her.

In this momentary perplex of two characters trying to assist Venus is the centre of this painting. This is like you are allowed a glimpse of the pristine beauty of the Goddess before she is received at the shore of Cyprus and Zephyr return with his wife Flora. You can see how struck she is by Venus's beauty. It is as if she is in our position to admire her. And then like in life, time moves on, the moment is over.

Botticelli painted The Birth of Venus between 1484-85. Representation of mythological subjects was a trend at this time. The elegant woman who modelled for the painting - to be turned into Venus, to be precise, was Simonetta. Botticelli admired and respected her so much that after her passing at only 23 years, he asked to be buried, when time comes, at her feet. You can still find them both in the cemetery of Ognissanti Church of Florence.

The point, for this entire presentation is to help you walk through three things,

• How Venus came to be and joined us on earth • What a marvel she was like even at the dawn of her life

• How the world (represented by the nymph- Spring here) welcomed her - which I think somehow reflects where we, the today's admirers stand.

If you were to time travel back in Renaissance era's Florence, you would find that it wanted its people to admire classical culture and Olympian divinities and keep in touch with its mythologies. In other simple words - to keep the olden stories alive and passing them down. This wasn't simply a blind practice, but because they believed that this way, humanistic values can be well expressed, as it all lets you contemplate, take time to think and well appreciate what has been before you that still needs cherishing.