The oil painting "Spring" was created by the painter Botticelli between 1476 and 1480. It was made for the residence of a nobleman in Florence. The size of the painting is 203X314 cm. The painting is currently hidden in Uffizi Museum, Florence.
Sandro Botticelli (Alessandro Filipepi, 1445-1510) was a famous painter in Florence at the end of the 15th century and the last painter of the Florentine school of painting in the early European Renaissance. His paintings of the Virgin and Child are very famous. Influenced by Dutch portraiture, Botticelli was a pioneer in Italian portraiture. "Spring" is one of his masterpieces.
"Spring" was painted by Botticelli in the residence of a nobleman in Florence in 1478, when he was at the peak of his 37-year-old artistic career.
The work is based on the allegorical poem of Polixian, a famous poet at that time - one morning in early spring, in a beautiful and quiet fruit forest, the dignified and charming Venus, the god of love and beauty, is in the center. , are waiting to hold a grand ceremony for the arrival of spring with a leisurely and elegant expression. To her right, the moving three goddesses of beauty and wisdom are wearing gauze skirts as thin as cicada wings, bathing in the sunshine, and dancing hand in hand - "Beauty" is shining with pearls wearing human ornaments, "Youth" shyly turns its back, "Happiness" twists its waist happily, they will bring the joy of life to the world. Next to them is Mercury, the messenger of the gods, wearing red clothes and carrying a sword. He is waving his staff to disperse the winter clouds. On the left side of Venus, there are the God of Flowers, the God of Spring and the God of Wind. Flora, the God of Flowers, wearing a wreath on her head and a flower-decorated dress, is coming towards us with graceful and elegant steps, scattering flowers to the earth, symbolizing "spring". The natural season of "returning to the earth and flourishing all the trees" is coming. And the little Cupid flying above Venus, blindfolded, shot his golden arrow of love. The work shows images of gods full of spring joy. This kind of praise for human nature has extraordinary beauty. But in those solemn and confident images, there is always a kind of nameless sadness buried deep in the artist's heart.
Botticelli's artistic achievements are concentrated in his elegant style, bright and brilliant colors, smooth and agile lines, and his delicate and tranquil poetic style. This style has influenced several generations of artists to this day. Still exudes charming brilliance.
In terms of painting technique, "Spring" did not adopt the oil painting technique that was already popular in Flanders at that time, but adopted the traditional egg white painting method. The gorgeous decorative effect on the picture is even more intense. Since the egg white dries, the color will form a hard layer, which is a transparent color. Therefore, in this painting we can feel the pure and transparent effect that is close to that of watercolor painting.
In the history of painting, there are many works depicting spring, but none of them can compare with Botticelli's "Spring". It can be said that this painting has perfectly expressed the beauty and elegance of spring. In this painting, Botticelli used a flat decorative technique in the composition, arranging many figures in appropriate positions. On the picture, a total of nine people are arranged in a row from left to right, with no overlap or interspersion, and appropriate actions are arranged according to their different roles in the painting. The protagonist, the goddess Venus, is located a little later than the others. The picture is like a stage play being performed, and the setting is a golden dark brown grove. What Botticelli represents here is the spring scene described in the long poem "Calendar" by the Roman poet Ofantios.
We look from the right side of the screen to the left: the lustful West Wind God Sephiuros is floating in with puffed cheeks, chasing the Earth Fairy Chloris. With his arrival, the tree on the far right also bent. The fairy Cloris tried hard to get rid of the pursuit of the Zephyr God, but in the end she could not escape the embrace of the Zephyr God. Bright flowers overflowed from Chlorisse's mouth and fell one after another. Floating on the body of the flower god Ferola, it formed a beautiful coat. Just like nature, there was once a white land, and in the blink of an eye, flowers were in full bloom and full of life. "Calendar" has this description: "I, the old Cloris, now, people call me Ferrola." Botticelli depicts the poetry of Ofantios in the form of painting here. Cloris is the fairy of the earth, and Zephyr is the spring breeze. The spring breeze blew, the flowers bloomed on the earth, and the beautiful flower god was born.
This process also expresses the beauty of the arrival of spring on the road of life.
The three beauties depicted on the left end of the picture are dancing with the gauze like spring clouds, dancing hand in hand. This can be said to be a typical example of female beauty during the Renaissance. In terms of image, Botticelli depicts them very similar, but with subtle differences. The first beauty among the three from left to right has the most dynamic range. Her hair is loosely draped, and she wears a unique brooch on her chest. Her clothes are particularly gorgeous, and her clothes are undulating inside and outside. The whole posture shows the fierce impulse in her heart. These characteristics It shows that she is the embodiment of "love". On the contrary, the one in the middle has no frills, her clothes are extremely simple, and her expression is serious. She is undoubtedly the embodiment of "purity". "Beauty" was born in the contact between the simple, elegant and quiet "purity" and the gorgeous and passionate "love". Among the three beauties, there is a confrontation between "purity" and "eros". The lower half of "purity"'s left shoulder garment falls off, hinting at the temptation of love. Here the author expresses the awakening of love and the pursuit of beauty. This naturally leads to the protagonist of the work - Venus, the incarnation of beauty and love. She is located in the middle of the two groups of figures and slightly taller. Cupid's arrow flying above is pointed at the god of "purity". A work of spring, and at the same time a war song praising the victory of Venus' love.
The work "Spring" is also known as "The Golden Age of Venus". In medieval religious paintings, generally only the Virgin Mary was arranged under the arch. Botticelli borrowed this form here. Behind Venus, Botticelli used the branches and the background sky to consciously leave the tree shape in such an arch shape. The dark background of the woods suddenly opens up around her, highlighting the status of Venus as the protagonist. She held the dress in her left hand and raised her right hand slightly, showing a dignified and elegant manner.