Sandro Botticelli, an Italian Renaissance painter, produced Primavera in the late 1470s / early 1480s. Botticelli was among the first Italian Renaissance artists to center his large-scale pieces around ancient Greek and Roman mythology. He did so mostly at the request of the younger generations of the Medici family, at a point where religion was no longer at the forefront of artistic subject matter. However, this is slightly ironic because Primavera was hung in the bed chambers of a bride to a member of the Medici family. The general theme of the painting is “one of love and marriage and when done in the right order will bring forth sensuality and fertility.” (1) So even though the painting symbolizes a time of transition from religious to mythological subject matter, the act of hanging it in a bride-to-be’s bedroom before matrimony reveals traditionally religious undertones. Also, because of the fact that the woman was set to marry a Medici, which was an obscenely wealthy and powerful family at the time, it’s safe to assume that the marriage was arranged by entities other than herself. The mythology that Primavera depicts is symbolic of this phenomenon. On the right is the goddess of flowers, Flora, who was originally a person named Chloris. Chloris was raped in the forest by the wind god, Zephyr. In order to prove to Chloris that he was remorseful of his actions he married her and granted her eternal life as Flora, goddess of flowers. A weird way to say sorry, but the marriage wasn’t her decision nonetheless.
The figures Primavera portray an element of mannerism in the way that their torsos, limbs, and necks appear unnaturally long. Three of these figures gathered in a circle are dressed in a sheer, lightweight fabrics. They are barefoot and appear to be partaking in a kind of dance. There is another figure to the far right dressed in similar clothing. I think that the lighter values of these figures in both their features and clothing are representative of their roles within the painting. The three figures especially because they are a depiction of the Three Graces. In Roman mythology, they represent Chastity, Beauty, and Love, “The Roman writer Seneca refers to them as ‘pure and undefiled and holy in the eyes of all” (2).
Personally, I think that this painting would be confusing to behold had I not been told the mythology behind it. In an aesthetic sense, it’s not the most appealing to just look at. Although interesting to pick apart analytically and very beautiful, it’s not necessarily my cup of tea or something I would hang in my home.
Works Cited
1. Renaissance.org, Italian. "Botticelli’S Primavera – Italianrenaissance.Org". Italianrenaissance.Org, 2022, https://www.italianrenaissance.org/a-closer-look-botticellis-primavera/.
Kyleigh, I chose a Botticelli piece as well. I enjoyed your analysis of the Primavera. The obscurity and chaos of the art without the mythology annotation is a great distinction. You stated, “I think that this painting would be confusing to behold had I not been told the mythology behind it. In an aesthetic sense, it’s not the most appealing to just look at”, which is a valid response. The abstract obscurity of the painting is what draws me to it.
ReplyDeleteWhat would influence me to display a piece like this is the stark contrast between the dark and the light. In the corner you see the light being pulled by the dark while everyone else appears to be celebrating something.
You made another great point where the woman was likely set to marry a Medici not necessarily by her own choice due to wealth and power alignments. This comment stands out to me and was something I touch on in my analysis this week. Many of these paintings gifted to the Medici’s were to celebrate some type of romantic milestone in their lives. The distinction is that it was gifted to the men whose wives and wives did not have much say in the matter. In some sense it makes me think of the dark figure as the Medici family who celebrates taking the betrothed whether the woman may be happy with the arrangement.
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ReplyDeleteThank you for including some of the history on this piece - I was not aware of the story behind Flora and Zephyr. I love pretty much everything Botticelli did - his work appeals to me and I love the fluid manner in which he paints his subjects, the muted tones and tranquil colors. His work is very ethereal. I also see the hints of mannerism you described here in many of his works - he definitely had a defined style.
ReplyDeleteI’m not sure if you’re already aware, but a group of activists glued their hands to this piece over the summer in protest of climate change. I wonder why they chose this piece - I could not find an explanation. Thankfully, the museum had installed glass over the painting a few months prior or there would have been significant damage. Pretty interesting. Here's a link to an article about it:
https://www.businessinsider.com/climate-activists-dragged-away-after-gluing-hands-botticelli-painting-2022-7