http://www.telegraph.co.uk/art/artists/charles-saatchis-great-masterpieces-botticellis-luxurious-garden/
Botticelli quickly developed his own distinctive style of bold outlines, intricate detail and a two-dimensionality for which he was soon to be well regarded. His apprenticeship with Lippi enabled Botticelli to make excellent contacts, and the very start of his career in art saw him creating frescoes for Florentine churches and cathedrals. His master was regularly commissioned by some of the leading patrons in Florence, and through him Botticelli met the Medici family, the most powerful in the country. As the culture in Florence became increasingly informed by religion in the late 15th century, Botticelli adapted his style to follow. He was to spend almost his entire career working on Medici commissions, and created some of his most ambitious works for them, including Primavera.
Botticelli’s reputation went from strength to strength following his connection with the Medicis, to the extent that he was summoned by the Pope to help work on the Sistine Chapel. Although Michelangelo would come to hold the honour of having painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Botticelli was entrusted with a key “Story of Jesus” for the chapel wall, Temptation of Christ.
Primavera, or the Allegory of Spring, is one of the most universally admired paintings in Western art, and one that has inspired more analysis than almost any other. It depicts the progress of spring, from right to left. The wind blows on the land and flowers bloom, watched over by Venus, the deity of April. Mercury, the protector of the garden, is seen to the left chasing away the last clouds before summer. Botticelli filled the garden with no fewer than 500 plant species, including a luxuriant display of over 190 different flowers.
'Primavera' by Botticelli: one of the most admired paintings in the history of Western art
The work is clearly rich with allegory but its meaning is still debated today. There is an orange grove, a Medici family symbol, and the Three Graces, who traditionally accompany Venus. Cupid aims his arrow at Chastity, who looks towards Mercury. One common interpretation is that the painting suggests the realm of Venus. On the right, blue-faced Zephyrus, the god of wind, chases Flora and fertilises her with a breath. As a result, Flora turns into an elegant woman scattering her flowers over the world. Venus, in the centre welcoming us, represents humanitas, the benevolence that protects mankind. This highlights the humanistic intentions of the work. Venus suggests the inherent goodness that distinguishes material from spiritual values. She promotes the ideal of a positive man, confident in his abilities and sensitive to the needs of others.
It is believed that Primavera was painted as a wedding present to Lorenzo Medici (who humbly styled himself “Lorenzo the Magnificent”). It was then hung in the Medici country estate Villa di Castello, along with Birth of Venus, and the two masterpieces have stayed united ever since. It was thought that the model for Birth of Venus, as well as several of the female figures in Primavera, was Simonetta Vespucci. Botticelli never married, and although he stated that the idea of doing so gave him nightmares, Simonetta was said to have been the love of his life. In fact she was already married, but none the less after her death Botticelli requested to be buried at Simonetta’s feet in Florence’s Church of Ognissanti.
Today, Primavera hangs alongside Birth of Venus in Florence’s wonderful Uffizi Gallery, and despite the work having darkened somewhat, it remains one of the most enthralling images ever painted. Poster reproductions of it adorn countless bedrooms, and Botticelli is so widely revered, his early Renaissance masterpieces have been reworked countless times – including by Andy Warhol and David LaChapelle. His work has permeated popular culture to the point of making an appearance in Elsa Schiaparelli’s fashion designs, while Beyoncé even posed as Botticelli’s Venus in a recent photograph.But in reality, by the end of his career he had gone from being one of the most acclaimed talents of the early Renaissance into a period of relative obscurity. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael had grown to become high priests of the high Renaissance, while Botticelli had slowly been passed over. He was seen as failing to keep pace with the revolutions taking place in art, and the extraordinary paintings that were now being produced pushed Botticelli into the shadows. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that his work was reassessed, and the scale of his achievement was to be affirmed again, his reputation growing ever greater with every new generation.
With one million posters of Primavera and Birth of Venus displayed on students’ walls around the world, it certainly suggests that, to many, Botticelli made some of the most bewitching paintings in art history.
Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi was better known as Sandro Botticelli, courtesy of his elder brother Giovanni’s exceptionally ample girth. Giovanni was fondly called botticello – big barrel – and Sandro was quickly referred to as botticelli – little barrel.
Barrel minor was born in Florence in 1445, the youngest of four boys to survive into adulthood. He was recorded as being rather intelligent, with a sharp wit, but tended to be easily bored at school. Botticelli was restless, impatient and hyperactive, and he had withdrawn from education by the time he was 14. He managed to gain an apprenticeship as a goldsmith, before being fortunate enough to land a position at the studio of a leading Florentine painter, the brilliant Filippo Lippi. This training enabled Botticelli to make paintings that avoided technical shortcuts, and they have survived in good condition over the centuries.Botticelli quickly developed his own distinctive style of bold outlines, intricate detail and a two-dimensionality for which he was soon to be well regarded. His apprenticeship with Lippi enabled Botticelli to make excellent contacts, and the very start of his career in art saw him creating frescoes for Florentine churches and cathedrals. His master was regularly commissioned by some of the leading patrons in Florence, and through him Botticelli met the Medici family, the most powerful in the country. As the culture in Florence became increasingly informed by religion in the late 15th century, Botticelli adapted his style to follow. He was to spend almost his entire career working on Medici commissions, and created some of his most ambitious works for them, including Primavera.
Botticelli’s reputation went from strength to strength following his connection with the Medicis, to the extent that he was summoned by the Pope to help work on the Sistine Chapel. Although Michelangelo would come to hold the honour of having painted the Sistine Chapel ceiling, Botticelli was entrusted with a key “Story of Jesus” for the chapel wall, Temptation of Christ.
Primavera, or the Allegory of Spring, is one of the most universally admired paintings in Western art, and one that has inspired more analysis than almost any other. It depicts the progress of spring, from right to left. The wind blows on the land and flowers bloom, watched over by Venus, the deity of April. Mercury, the protector of the garden, is seen to the left chasing away the last clouds before summer. Botticelli filled the garden with no fewer than 500 plant species, including a luxuriant display of over 190 different flowers.
The work is clearly rich with allegory but its meaning is still debated today. There is an orange grove, a Medici family symbol, and the Three Graces, who traditionally accompany Venus. Cupid aims his arrow at Chastity, who looks towards Mercury. One common interpretation is that the painting suggests the realm of Venus. On the right, blue-faced Zephyrus, the god of wind, chases Flora and fertilises her with a breath. As a result, Flora turns into an elegant woman scattering her flowers over the world. Venus, in the centre welcoming us, represents humanitas, the benevolence that protects mankind. This highlights the humanistic intentions of the work. Venus suggests the inherent goodness that distinguishes material from spiritual values. She promotes the ideal of a positive man, confident in his abilities and sensitive to the needs of others.
It is believed that Primavera was painted as a wedding present to Lorenzo Medici (who humbly styled himself “Lorenzo the Magnificent”). It was then hung in the Medici country estate Villa di Castello, along with Birth of Venus, and the two masterpieces have stayed united ever since. It was thought that the model for Birth of Venus, as well as several of the female figures in Primavera, was Simonetta Vespucci. Botticelli never married, and although he stated that the idea of doing so gave him nightmares, Simonetta was said to have been the love of his life. In fact she was already married, but none the less after her death Botticelli requested to be buried at Simonetta’s feet in Florence’s Church of Ognissanti.
Today, Primavera hangs alongside Birth of Venus in Florence’s wonderful Uffizi Gallery, and despite the work having darkened somewhat, it remains one of the most enthralling images ever painted. Poster reproductions of it adorn countless bedrooms, and Botticelli is so widely revered, his early Renaissance masterpieces have been reworked countless times – including by Andy Warhol and David LaChapelle. His work has permeated popular culture to the point of making an appearance in Elsa Schiaparelli’s fashion designs, while Beyoncé even posed as Botticelli’s Venus in a recent photograph.But in reality, by the end of his career he had gone from being one of the most acclaimed talents of the early Renaissance into a period of relative obscurity. Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael had grown to become high priests of the high Renaissance, while Botticelli had slowly been passed over. He was seen as failing to keep pace with the revolutions taking place in art, and the extraordinary paintings that were now being produced pushed Botticelli into the shadows. It wasn’t until the late 19th century that his work was reassessed, and the scale of his achievement was to be affirmed again, his reputation growing ever greater with every new generation.
With one million posters of Primavera and Birth of Venus displayed on students’ walls around the world, it certainly suggests that, to many, Botticelli made some of the most bewitching paintings in art history.
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