The birth of Venus
Item
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Title
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The birth of Venus
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Description
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The Birth of Venus is a painting by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, probably executed in the mid-1480s. It depicts the goddess Venus arriving at the shore after her birth, when she had emerged from the sea fully-grown. The painting is in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.
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Date
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1485–1486
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Material
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Tempera on canvas
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Location
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Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy.
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Uffizi
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Measurements
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172.5 cm × 278.9 cm (67.9 inches × 109.6 inches)
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Analysis
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Idealizes whiteness as divine, pure, and ethereal:
(19th century) In The Birth of Venus, Botticelli shows the goddess as very delicate, with pale skin, a long figure, and a gentle pose as she arrives on the shore. The painting feels light and beautiful, but it mainly presents Venus as someone to be looked at and admired, not as someone who takes action in her own story. Her nudity appears both innocent and divine, but the viewer’s attention is still drawn to her body. By connecting whiteness and softness with purity and ideal beauty, the painting sets a standard that later Western art often followed, especially in how women are shown for the viewer’s gaze.
