La Primavera, Botticelli:
Analysis, Interpretation читать ~4 мин.

La Primavera by Botticelli Interpretation, Analysis of Early Renaissance Allegorical Painting MAIN A-Z INDEX

La PrimaveraBy Botticelli. One of theGreatest Paintings Ever.

Art EducationTo analyze Renaissance art, see our educational essays:Art Evaluation and also:How to Appreciate Paintings.

ContentsDescription • Analysis and Interpretation of La Primavera • Explanation of Other Allegorical/Mythological Paintings

Description Artist : Botticelli (1445-1510) Medium : Tempera on poplar panel Genre : Mythological/Allegorical history painting Movement : Early Renaissance art Museum : Uffizi Gallery, Florence.

For analysis of other pictures, see: Famous Paintings Analyzed.

Zephyrus grabbing Chloris, whom he ravishes and makeshis wife. In remorse, he turnsher into the Goddess Flora (pictured left).

A masterpiece of the Florentine Renaissance, La Primavera was commissioned by the Medici family from a Botticelli (1445-1510) at the height of his powers. This complex allegorical and mythological painting brings together the elegance of Gothic art, the decorative beauty of the International Gothic and the humanistic narrative of the Italian Renaissance. It contains numerous references to classical and contemporary texts, and is open to almost endless interpretations by scholars and art historians. According to the Uffizi, it was probably painted to celebrate the wedding of Lorenzo Medici and Semiramide Appiani, which took place in May 1482. Like his other work, The Birth of Venus (1484-86) – a companion piece which hung in the Medici’s summer house – La Primavera remains an iconic painting of the Renaissance in Florence, and ranks among the finest of all Renaissance paintings. Botticelli trained under Fra Filippo Lippi (1406-69) whose style of expressive interactions between figures, combined with decorative techniques inherited from the Late Gothic period, is clearly evident in both paintings. Another influence was Antonio Pollaiuolo (1432-98), whose new style of muscular modelling was more sensitive to human anatomy and proportion.

Mercury, messenger of thegods, guards the scene asthe Three Graces dance.This trio represents threeof the earliest non-religiousfemale nudes in art history.

Colour Pigments UsedFor details of the huesavailable to quattrocentopainters like Botticelli, see:Renaissance colour palette.

Specially Designed For His Client When Botticelli began La Primavera he had only just returned from Rome, where he had executed a number of fresco paintings on the walls of the Sistine Chapel for Pope Sixtus IV. (Example: Revolt Against the Law of Moses, 1481.) The successful completion of such a prestigious commission cemented his already high reputation, and led to more commissions from families in high society, like the Medicis. It was during this period 1482-90 that Botticelli painted most of his allegorical and mythological works ( Pallas and the Centaur, Venus and Mars, The Birth of Venus, La Primavera) , which, incidentally, were not intended to be viewed by a large audience, but were installed in private rooms, and designed specifically to the interests of the customer. Botticelli’s clients belonged to the humanist circle associated with the Medici Family, and so were especially interested in classical mythology and the study of antiquity. In 1919, the painting was acquired by the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. Although it was thoroughly cleaned and restored in 1982, the painting has darkened considerably over the centuries.

Primavera – From Classical Mythology In La Primavera, Botticelli created a lively, interactive scene, based on several different sources including, Ovid’s Fasti, a poetic calendar of Roman festivals; and De Rerum Nature (On the Nature of Things), a philosophical poem by the classical writer Titus Lucretius Carus (1st century BCE). Primavera is one of the first known paintings from the post-classical period which portrays Gods and Goddesses life-size and virtually naked. Some of the poses and figures are derived from Greek sculpture, although – as is evident from the slightly elongated torsos and distended stomachs – they are reworked to reflect contemporary Florentine aesthetics.