Arcadópolis
Nudity. This work is shown blurred, as in the Museum.Show work
The Birth of Venus
Sandro Botticelli, c. 1484–1486
What you see
Venus stands at the center on a huge scallop shell about to touch the shore. Nude, she covers herself with one hand and her long hair, and looks calmly toward us. On the left, two winged figures in an embrace fly in amid falling roses. On the right, a woman in white hurries from the land to wrap her in a pink cloak.
The colors are pale and gentle: the soft green of the sea, ivory skin, the pink of the cloak. The waves are small V-shaped marks, and hair and fabric curl in the wind. Keep an eye out for the tiny blue flowers on the white dress and the cattails in the lower left corner.
About Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli worked in Florence for the powerful Medici family. His elegant figures, with hair that seems to float in the wind, brought ancient myths to life as never before. He also painted in the Sistine Chapel, years before Michelangelo.
More by Sandro Botticelli
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