Botticelli: Birth and Garden of Venus

Rumor has it ! To most people's surprise, we still do not know who was Botticelli's exact muse behind Venus, apart from it being an homage to the Greek/Roman goddess of love, beauty, sex, fertility, and victory. Though, there are many theories to it. The two most popular theories about who Venus might be is and who the painting was for, is either someone from the Medici family, as rumors point to the painting being for the family after it was spotted in their home villa in 1550, or Simonetta Cattaneo, wife of Marco Vespucci, as rumors point to Boticelli being madly in love with her (though in secret, and feelings were never reciprocated). If that last theory is true, the question that lingered my mind the most was whether Botticelli's romantic feelings for Cattaneo was obsessive, just a temporary "girl next door" crush type of deal, or whether Botticelli even had feelings for Cattaneo to begin with. It is said that both the Medici family and the Cattaneo-Vespucci were quite the wealthy, Italian families at the time, and lived either in or around Boticelli's neighborhood, hence why most rumors behind Venus are about them and their status. Some art historians say that there might have been easter eggs within Botticelli's artwork as well, such as his depictions of fruits, flowers, and other plant life, serving as a token of affection and gratitude for either or both families. 

Personal and Historical Importance

Conclude your post by considering how these ideals have been passed from antiquity to the Renaissance to the present. Where do you see the influence of the Renaissance visuals and values in your own world?

Botticelli's Birth of Venus and Garden of Venus were especially influential, not only because of his beautiful storytelling and homage to Greek and Roman mythology, but because of the subtle, yet groundbreaking details in his work, that other artists might've considered risky to do. Before the Italian Renaissance, it was very rare for a woman to be the main character an art piece, and if a woman were to be depicted in art, it always had to be in the company of a man or male-dominated in some other way. Another example of a art-risk, Botticelli took were how he depicted womens' nudity (again, without romantic company of a man) as a powerful symbol of positive female sexuality rather than negative female sexualization. Other example of how Botticelli stepped outside the norm with Birth + Garden of Eden is how it isn't inherently religious, unlike most paintings from the Italian Rennaisance era.  I see the influence of Botticelli's Birth + Garden of Venus, as well as the influence of the Italian Renaissance visuals and values, in current artwork and how important themes are depicted. What made the Italian Rennaissance and its art so popular and impactful, wasn't just how elegant and pristine artists and their audience carried their work and personal values, but also how genre-defying it was, and how it much it impacted how society would talk (as well as what was seen as important to talk about), dress, act, and just be. Now, elegance and the act of doing or being interested in partaking in or conversing about multiple things, is still popular and even more complex in its presentation, not just in art. The appreciation and personal projection/expression of aesthetics based on important moments in art and history, as well as the art of being the jack of all trades, master of all, is very on brand for my generation. The way in which we depict and talk about important things in the world, can very much be traced back to the Italian Renaissance, or at least we can take inspiration from it. Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, specifcally, has gone on to be recreated by the current world, many who are BIPOC artists, to tell the story of Venus, while also depicting folklore from other cultures. As a BIPOC artist myself, I appreciate how my generation is recreating Botticelli's work. Both pieces are currently located in  the UFizzi Gallery in Florence, Italy.