The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli, 1485. Tempera on canvas. Galleria degli Uffizi, Florence
At the center of the canvas, standing on a gigantic seashell amidst the sea, is a naked woman. Her head is a bit tilted to the left, her expression serene and calm. On her left, a pair of semi-naked winged figures, a man and a woman, are depicted embraced, their mouths blowing air towards the naked woman in order to help her reach the shore, where another woman awaits to cover her with a robe. The figures are elongated, the necks seem disproportionate and there is a fragile beauty on the faces, all typical characteristics of the art of Botticelli (Tansey and Kleiner, 721). The artist was inspired by the classical Greek and Roman tradition that was highly valued during the Renaissance and the humanist philosophy of the period. He used a Classical myth as his subject: the birth of the goddess Venus on the foam of the sea near the island of Cythera (Tansey and Kleiner, 721). Furthermore, the white color chosen for the skin of Venus and her posture are reminiscent of a Classical Greek statue and it has been argued that the artist has been inspired by an actual ancient statue, the Venus Pudica (Tansey and Kleiner, 721). At the same time, as the goddess of love and beauty, Venus embodies the humanist ideals of Renaissance patrons (Tansey and Kleiner, 721). His contemporaries would easily understand these messages and Botticelli manages to evoke a sense of eternal and serene beauty even for the 21st century audience with his delicate figures and the use of colors, like pale blue and green, which give a sense of calmness.
David, Bernini, 1624-1625, marble, Galleria Borghese, Rome
Depicting the biblical hero David, who saved his people by defeating with a single sling the giant Goliath, Bernini’s statue is full of action. The body of the figure is turned, gathering strength to throw the stone that will eventually defeat his opponent. The facial expression, the position of the legs and the arms, the tension of the muscles all contribute to a dramatic effect as if a stage play is about to begin (Tansey and Kleiner, 825). Dramatic and theatrical, extravagant and passionate, the work focuses on movement and the depiction of feelings and actions, following the ideals of the Baroque style to which it belongs. The well known biblical story was clearly the inspiration for the artist, who chose to represent it in the middle of action. David and Bernini’s intentions when creating the work, however, should be seen in the context of Counter Reformation, the attempt of the Catholic Church to attack Protestantism. David represents the kind of naturalism, drama and emotion that were expected to attract the viewer’s attention. Bernini succeeds not only at capturing the eye with the vitality and strength of the statue but also invites the audience to participate in his mission by creating the statue, its movements and expression as if Goliath, or the enemy of the church is standing right in front of them (Tansey and Kleiner, 825).
The Starry Night, Vincent Van Gogh, 1889, oil on canvas, Museum of Modern Art, New York
Van Gogh’s The Starry Night, created belongs to the post-impressionist style. The artist used thick brush strokes to depict the night and the stars as can be seen from the earth. Color plays an important role in the painting as the dark blue and yellow-gold of the sky contrasts with the dark, almost black city that can be seen in the background. On the foreground the mysterious black figure of a tree seems to climb to the sky (Tansey and Kleiner, 999). Clearly, a starry night inspired the artist, but the end result is more personal than objective. The stars seem more as comets running in the sky. They are significantly larger than those that can be actually seen from earth and are certainly more intense and colorful. Everything else seems insignificant. The protagonists are clearly the stars and the mysterious night sky belonging to an endless universe far remote from the activities of humans on earth. This endless quality of the universe is probably what Van Gogh wanted to evoke in his viewers and in this he is successful. At the same time, however, the painting seems to be a very personal recording of a state of mind and the tormented life of the artist which would end just a year after this work was completed (Tansey and Kleiner, 999).
WORK CITED
Tansey, Richard G. and Fred S. Kleiner. Gardner’s Art Through the Ages. Orlando, FL: Harcourt Brace College Publishers, 1996.
