“Spring”, Botticelli
This outstanding work the great Botticelli was written for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco Medici, cousin of Lorenzo the Magnificent.
Art historians disagree about the exact dating of the work. It is assumed that the painting was painted between 1477 and 1482.
It is also somewhat difficult to interpret the numerous allegorical symbols. According to the most common interpretation, the painting depicts the reign of Venus, glorified by ancient poets and the close writer of the Medici court, Angelo Poliziano.
The picture is read from right to left: the winged wind god Zephyr, in love with the nymph Chloris, overtakes her in order to forcefully take her as his wife. Repenting of what he had done, he turns her into Flora, the goddess of nature and spring. Venus is depicted in the center, symbolizing the humanity that reigns over people. The group on the left is three dancing graces. The scene concludes with Mercury dispersing the clouds with his magic wand.
Thus Venus, incarnation humanity, separates carnal love and materialism (group on the right) from spiritual love and moral values(group on the left). “Humanity” was understood as an ideal human personality– highly moral, confident in her strengths and capabilities and listening to the needs of others.
During the Renaissance, this ancient concept was carefully studied by humanist philosophers of the Neoplatonic school at the Medici court. Neoplatonism, a philosophical and aesthetic movement, followed the theories of the Greek philosopher Plato. Neoplatonic concepts perfect beauty and sublime “platonic” love had a huge influence on the culture and worldview of Renaissance figures, including Botticelli.
Thus, the work also reflects the high intellectual level of the Medici dynasty and their love of culture and art.
Botticelli depicted with amazing accuracy the various varieties of flowers and herbs that could be found in the vicinity of Florence in the spring. The masterful use of colors, the sophistication of the figures connected internal movement, the poetry of the composition make this work charming and unique.
Dedicated to the work of Botticelli, you can admire his masterpieces "In the spring" And "Birth of Venus".
The skill of Florentine painters, their dedication and passion for their work have long become a model of work for their contemporaries. But even among fans of the work of yesteryear it is difficult to find such an original artist as Sandro Botticelli was. “Spring” by this painter has become a cult painting.
Perhaps the phenomenon of this painting is explained by the fact that Botticelli in the process of work was guided by the motives of Neoplatonic philosophy, which could not be appreciated for a long time.
Who was Botticelli
Among the painters of the 15th century, he was one of the most famous, but there was a lot of talk among his admirers. This is because the paintings were designed to educated people, on philosophers who knew how to get to the essence of a work.
Almost like all great people, Botticelli was forgotten for several centuries after his death. His work began to be rediscovered already in the middle of the 19th century, when writers created the image of the creator in romantic and tragic shades. In fact, this is somewhat contrary to the truth. But the details of the master’s path have always interested followers much less than his creativity, the depth of philosophy and, of course, the Italian goddess Botticelli’s Spring.
Biography
We should start with the fact that Botticelli is a pseudonym, and the master's real name is Filipepi. He was youngest son tanner Mariano, who lived in the church parish. In addition to Sandro, there were two more brothers in the family who took up trade, and one who chose jewelry making as a vocation. This is where you can find the thread leading to the pseudonym: the brothers gave Sandro a nickname - “botticelle” (“barrel”). It was not for nothing that they knew a lot about trade, so they gave their brother an appropriate nickname. There is a version that this is not a nickname at all, but the name of Sandro’s father’s godfather. Besides, big number People believe that the nickname came from his brother, the jeweler Antonio. There is a version according to which the nickname passed to Sandro Botticelli from his brother Antonio, and means a distorted Florentine word “ battigello" - "silversmith."
Career
In 1464 the master began to study with the artist Filippo Lippi.
Here he spent three years, and then moved to the workshop of Andrea Verrocchio. Two more years as an apprentice, and Sandro set out on his own. Among his best paintings During these years, they include “The Adoration of the Magi,” where the master depicted the Medici family in the images of the sages of the East. And on the right edge the artist depicted himself. In the period from 1475 to 1480, Sandro Botticelli’s best painting, in the opinion of many, “Spring,” appeared. The master created it for his friend Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco Medici. Perhaps the proximity of the picture’s recipient explains the inexplicable calm of the image, the hidden philosophy of the characters and the warmth of the seemingly cold tones.
Plot
"Spring" is a painting by Botticelli that combines the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. It must be said that researchers of the painter’s work still cannot thoroughly explain this unity. It is obvious that the motive for writing was the events in the Medici family and the favorite Neoplatonic cosmogony. The canvas shows nine central characters. They are all in motion and seem to be in contact with each other, but this is only at first glance. Upon closer examination, it can be noted that there are six plots and, accordingly, six groups of characters, which were combined into harmony by Botticelli. “Spring” is very specific, and to a novice in art it will seem completely chaotic.
In fact, this is one of the first paintings from post-antique times that has survived to this day. The main characters are gods and nymphs with their experiences. The highlight of the creation is its gigantic size - Sandro Botticelli painted “Spring” in full height and therefore clearly intended for the mansions of high-ranking officials. Who else could afford to see life-size gods?!
Progress of the creative process
Of course, Botticelli brought his own vision of the world into the picture. The gods here do not copy ancient sculptures, but are transformed according to special artistic canons. You can notice that the figures are slightly elongated, and the women have somewhat dome-shaped bellies, which, in principle, corresponds to the beauty standards of that time. In the center the master depicted Venus, the goddess of love and mistress of the garden. The central character was not chosen by chance, because spring is the time of love and Venus represents the blossoming of nature and human relationships. For Sandro Botticelli, spring is beautiful and pure; she inspires awe and admiration. Cupid hovers above the goddess. This tiny baby knows his business and aims his faithful arrows of love at the three graces, friends of the beautiful Venus, who are dancing the rondo. The Three Graces embody tenderness and innocence, but seem to be simple maidens, beautiful in their vulnerability. One of them is blond, and the other two are red. The graces hold hands in their dance, and their light clothes flutter in time with their movements.
Minor characters
In fact, Botticelli's "Spring" does not have minor characters, but you can discuss them, departing from the center of the plot. The beautiful graces need protection, and Mercury, which is on the left, provides it to them.
His role as a brave guardian of peace is emphasized by a scarlet cloak, a helmet on his head and a sword on his side. Swift Mercury, who is still more often called Hermes, can be recognized by his winged sandals and the original weapon in his hands, with which he drives snakes away from each other, trying to reconcile them with each other. The snakes in Botticelli's painting "Spring" appear in the form of winged dragons. The god of the wind Zephyr, who is pursuing the nymph Chloris, has his own story in the picture. And the goddess of spring Flora, walking nearby, calls for warmth, scattering flowers around her.
Interpretations of the plot
For Botticelli, spring is ambiguous, alluring with its mystery and beauty. It is not surprising that there are many interpretations of the painting. Regardless of the truth, we must note the depth of meaning and humanism of painting, which gives an idea of cultural values those times. They say that Botticelli wrote the painting "Spring" based on Ovid's Fastas - descriptions of the ancient Roman calendar of holidays. In the poems there relating to May, the goddess Flora speaks of her life as the nymph Chloris, who became the object of adoration of the god Zephyr. Zephyr decided to forcefully marry her and pursued her constantly. But then God repented and realized his rudeness. To atone for his guilt, he turned the nymph into a goddess and gave her a beautiful garden where spring always reigns. In the poems, Flora does not complain about her fate, but enjoys her lot. Her husband gifted her with the beauty of flowers and bliss. That is why the faces of Chloris and Flora differ even in small things. Eternal spring changed everything. Botticelli's painting covers the entire story and focuses on the difference between two women with a single story. Even the clothes of the goddess and nymph flutter in different directions.
"Spring" by Sandro Botticelli(1478, Uffizi Gallery, Florence) - one of the most famous works Italian Renaissance. The painting was commissioned by Duke Lorenzo de' Medici on the occasion of the wedding (according to another version, the birthday) of his nephew. All the heroes depicted on it are mythological characters. In the center is the goddess Venus, to her left are the three Graces (Beauty, Chastity and Pleasure) and their leader Mercury. On the right is the god of the warm spring wind Zephyr, overtaking the nymph Chloris, and the goddess of flowers Flora. What is their relationship? What connects them? And why did Botticelli need all these heroes to talk about spring - a symbol of new life, love?
“This is the dialectic of love embodied in movement”
Marina Khaikina, art critic:“The picture was created according to the laws not of drama, but of musical and rhythmic ones. And therefore it is very difficult to tell what is happening here, to build a plot. But let's try. On the right side of the picture we see two events at once: Zephyr’s abduction of the nymph Chloris and her subsequent transformation into the goddess Flora, who symbolizes spring. However, the central position in the picture is not occupied by Flora, but by another heroine - Venus. She is not just the goddess of love and beauty. Neoplatonists, with whose ideas Botticelli was well acquainted, endowed Venus with the highest virtues - intelligence, nobility, grace, and identified her with Humanity, which was synonymous with culture and education. The movement of Venus is barely noticeable, but it is directed from earthly love, personified by Flora, to heavenly love, which, apparently, is symbolized by Mercury. His posture and gesture indicate that he is a conductor to the Mind reigning in the celestial spheres. His hand next to the fruit hanging on the tree is a motif traditionally associated with the Tree of Knowledge. It is very likely that Botticelli illustrated here the Neoplatonic dialectic of love - the path from earthly love to divine love.
Love, in which there is not only the joy and fullness of life, but also the sadness of knowledge and the stamp of suffering - we cannot help but see it on the face of Venus. In Botticelli’s painting, this dialectic of love is embodied in the musical, magical rhythm of movement, dance, now fading, now accelerating, but endlessly beautiful.”
"Hymn to living human desire" Andrey Rossokhin, psychoanalyst: “There are only two men in the picture, their images are fundamentally different. Zephyr (on the right) is a dark and scary, demonic tempter. Mercury (left) is narcissistically beautiful. But it is Zephyr, alive and moving, who touches the woman and looks at her (directly eye contact
There are three Graces next to him, but there is no physical connection between him and the girls: grace Pleasure stands with his back to Mercury. Chastity's gaze is turned to Mercury, but there is no contact between them either. In a word, in this entire group there is no hint of the awakening of Spring or sexuality. But it is this group that Venus blesses. She here is not the goddess of love, but the Christian symbol of the Mother, the Madonna. There is nothing feminine or sexual about her, she is the Goddess of spiritual love and therefore favors the leftist group, devoid of sensuality.
And here’s what we see on the right: Zephyr takes Chloris by force, and the nymph girl turns into a woman, Flora. And what happens next? Flora no longer looks at Zephyr (unlike Chloris), she is not interested in a man, she is interested in flowers and children. Chloris was a mortal girl, and the goddess Flora gained divine immortality. It turns out that The idea of the picture is this: you can be immortal and omnipotent only by giving up sexuality.
On a rational level, the symbolism of the painting encourages us to feel the greatness and divinity of motherhood, the narcissistic confidence of Mercury, the self-sufficiency of our inner Graces. Botticelli calls to curb your “wild” desires, attractions that are associated with Zephyr, to abandon them and thus gain immortality. However, unconsciously he writes the opposite, and the very atmosphere of the picture speaks about this. We live together with Zephyr and Chlorida their passionate love affair, literally feeling with your skin that only such sexual attraction can open the vicious circle of Graces and release pleasure from the narcissistic trap. To be alive, mortal, feeling, to experience different experiences (fear and pleasure), even at the cost of renouncing Divine immortality - in my opinion, this is the main hidden meaning Botticelli's messages.
A hymn not to the Divine, rational, symbolic and chaste, but to a living human desire that conquers narcissism and the fear of one’s own mortality.” Sandro Botticelli borrowed the plot of the painting “Spring” from two ancient Roman poets - Ovid and Lucretius. Ovid told about the origin of the goddess of spring and flowers, Flora. Once upon a time, the young beauty was not a goddess, but a nymph named Chloris. The wind god Zephyr saw her and fell in love with her and forcibly took her as his wife. Then, to atone for his mad impulse, he turned his beloved into a goddess and gave her a delightful garden. It is in this garden that the action of Botticelli's great painting takes place. As for Lucretius, he has Renaissance painting found an idea for creating the composition "Spring".
The figures depicted in the painting contain many meanings. First of all, they symbolize the spring months. Zephyr, Chloris and Flora are March, since the first breath of the Zephyr wind brings spring. Venus with Cupid hovering above her, as well as graces whirling in a dance - April. The son of the goddess Maya Mercury is May.
History of creation
Botticelli created one of his main masterpieces by order of the almighty Florentine Duke Lorenzo Medici. He needed it as a wedding gift for his close relative Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco. Therefore, the symbolism of the painting is closely related to the wish for a happy and virtuous family life.
Central images
Venus is presented here primarily as the virtuous goddess of conjugal love, which is why she appearance similar to the appearance of Madonna. Graceful graces are the embodiment of female virtues - Chastity, Beauty and Pleasure. Their long hair intertwined with pearls, symbolizing purity. Young Flora walks with a leisurely gait, throwing beautiful roses on her way. This is exactly what was done at weddings. A winged Cupid, blindfolded, hovers above the head of the goddess of love, Venus, because love is blind.
Almost all female characters the paintings, first of all - Venus and Flora - outwardly resemble the untimely death of the first beauty of Florence, Simonetta Vespucci. There is a version that the artist was secretly and hopelessly in love with her. Perhaps it was precisely thanks to this reverent, chaste love that Botticelli was able to create such a sublime canvas.
The fate of a masterpiece
For a long time"Spring" was kept in Pierfrancesco's house. Until 1743, Botticelli's masterpiece belonged to the Medici family. In 1815 it entered the collection famous gallery Uffizi. However, at that time the name of Sandro Botticelli was almost forgotten, and no attention was paid to the painting. Only in the second half of the 19th century, the English art critic John Ruskin rediscovered the work of the great Florentine, making it available to the general public. Today, “Spring,” along with another Botticelli masterpiece, “The Birth of Venus,” is one of the pearls of the gallery.
It so happened that while rearranging articles in the community, I accidentally deleted the story about Botticelli’s painting Spring. This is one of my favorite works. I decided to write a more detailed article and discuss it with you. It wouldn't hurt us to look again at the parade of beautiful women.
Having looked at the original of this painting in Florence, I was surprised by its small size. It seemed to me that this was a large canvas. In fact, the picture was painted on a board. 203×314 cm
Sandro Botticelli. Spring. 1482. Uffizi Gallery, Florence
HISTORY OF THE CREATION OF THE PICTURE
Sandro Botticelli's painting "Spring" was a wedding gift from Lorenzo de' Medici second cousin Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco Medici. He was going to marry Semiramis, a girl from the noble Appiani family. “Spring” was supposed to hang above the inlaid sofa-chest - lettuccio. researchers believe that the painting was commissioned by Lorenzo the Magnificent Botticelli as a wedding gift for his nephew.
Such gifts were common at that time.In this case, Botticelli knew where the painting would hang, and that it would be located at a height of two meters from the floor.
G. Vasari . Portrait of Lorenzo de' Medici. Florence, Uffizi Gallery. 1533-1534.
The picture is actually not only about spring and love, it is a kind of illustration for the instructions compiled for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco by the famous Florentine philosopher Marsilio Ficino. In it he calls upon the obstinate young man fix your gaze on Humanitas (“humanity”, “humanity”) as the highest virtue.
SOURCE
Botticelli’s first source was a fragment from Lucretius’ poem “On the Nature of Things”:
Here comes Spring, and Venus is coming, and Venus is wingedThe messenger is coming ahead, and, after Zephyr, in front of them
Flora the Mother walks and, scattering flowers along the path,
Fills everything with colors and a sweet smell...
The winds, goddess, run before you; with your approach
The clouds are leaving the heavens, the earth is a lush master
A flower carpet is spreading, the sea waves are smiling,
And the azure sky shines with spilled light.
ANALYSIS OF THE PICTURE.
The painting depicts a clearing in an orange orchard (“The fruitful garden blooms in the fields”). It is all dotted with flowers (“the earth-artist spreads a lush carpet of flowers”).
Botanists have counted more than 500 flowers (“there is no limit to their number”), belonging to more than 170 species. Moreover, they are reproduced with photographic accuracy, such as the German iris in the lower right corner. Despite the name “Spring,” among them there are many that bloom in summer, and even in winter (“Eternally I bask in spring”).
1. Venus. The goddess of love stands in the middle of an orange grove (the orange is a symbol of chastity), in an arch of myrtle and laurel, holding right hand in a blessing gesture. She's wearing a veil married woman
. “She,” writes Ficino, “is a nymph of the greatest beauty, born from heaven and more beloved than others by the Most High God. Her soul and mind are Love and Mercy, her eyes are Dignity and Generosity, her hands are Generosity and Splendor, her feet are Comeliness and Modesty.
The whole is Moderation and Honesty, Pleasantness and Greatness. O wondrous beauty! How beautiful to behold. My good Lorenzo, a nymph so noble is completely at your mercy. If you marry her and call her yours, she will make your years sweet, and you yourself the father of excellent children.”
2. Three graces.
To the left of Venus there is a group of three Haritas who dance holding hands. According to Hesiod, this is Aglaya (“Shining”), Euphrosyne (“Good-thinking”) and Talia (“Blooming”). Middle Charitha (possibly Euphrosyne) looks at Mercury. Harith's poses resemble those of her daughters Jethro from Botticelli's fresco "Scenes from the Life of Moses" in Sistine Chapel
.
These are the satellites of Venus. Ficino calls them Feeling, Intellect and Will. “And since,” he writes, “it [feeling] is not a mental act, then one of the graces is drawn with its face turned towards us, as if moving forward and not intending to go back;
the other two, since they relate to the intellect and will, which have the function of reflection, are depicted with a face turned back, like that of one who is returning.”
3. Mercury.The messenger of the gods is depicted wearing winged sandals. He was the son of the nymph Maya, in whose honor Latin the month of May was named, in which the wedding of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco took place.
With the help of a caduceus (a rod entwined with snakes), he disperses the clouds so that nothing darkens spring mood garden of Venus. It is believed that Botticelli portrayed Lorenzo de' Medici, who commissioned the painting, as Mercury. .
4. Zephyr and the nymph Chloride.This is an illustration for an excerpt from Ovid’s poem “Fasti” - the west wind Zephyr chases Chloris and takes possession of her: “One day in the spring I caught the eye of Zephyr; I left, “He flew after me: he was stronger than me...” Nevertheless, Zephyr justified the violence, making me his wife, “And I never complain about my marriage.”
After Chloris's marriage (periwinkle curls out of her mouth - a symbol true love) turned into the goddess of Spring and flowers, which Botticelli depicts right there, thereby using the technique of simultaneity - the simultaneous depiction of successive events.
5. Spring.It includes the following lines from “Fast”: “Spring is best time: / All the trees are green, the whole earth is green. / A fruitful garden blooms in the fields, given to me as a dowry... / My husband decorated my garden with a beautiful flower headdress, / So he said to me: “Forever be the goddess of flowers!” / But I could never count all the colors on the flowers scattered everywhere: there is no number of them.”
In Botticelli's painting, Spring scatters roses, as was customary at rich Florentine weddings. Her dress is embroidered with red and blue cornflowers - symbols of friendliness and good nature. You can also see strawberries in the wreath on Spring’s neck - a symbol of tenderness, chamomile - a symbol of fidelity and buttercup - a symbol of wealth.
6. Cupid.Companion of the goddess of love. He is blindfolded (love is blind) and aims a fiery arrow at one of the graces. Perhaps Botticelli portrayed himself in the image of Cupid.
INTERPRETATIONS
I focused on the historical interpretation, but there are many others.
Historical versions are based on the assumption that Botticelli depicted his contemporaries in the painting. The simplest option is that the painting is a pre-wedding instruction to the bride; Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco is depicted in Mercury, and Semiramis Appiani is depicted as the middle Charita looking at him.
Others believe that Mercury is Lorenzo the Magnificent himself, and among the other characters they find his mistresses. Still others view the painting as an allegory of the heyday of Florence under the leadership of Lorenzo the Magnificent after the liquidation of the consequences Pazzi conspiracy . It is argued that the trees in the garden are mala medica, the necklaces on the Harites are Medici flowers, elements of the Medici coat of arms are found in the painting
HISTORY OF THE PICTURE
The painting hung for a long period of time in the Medici mansion in Florence. In 1815, she ended up in the Uffizi Gallery. It was not exhibited for a long time, and only in 1919, when the art critic Giovanni Tucci drew attention to it, did it become the pearl of the main exhibition.
She returned to the Uffizi in 1919, so for about 400 years few people saw her, and only at the beginning of the 20th century did fame and glory come to her. In 1982, the painting underwent restoration. Now it is one of the main masterpieces of the Uffizi.
Sources.
Open Internet sites.
