Arts in Daily Living 1
Arts in Daily Living 1
Arts in Daily Living 1
QUIZ 3
3. Name an example of an artwork and speculate on the content of the artwork based
on its factual, conventional, and subjective meanings.
B. Watch the BBC documentary about Botticelli’s Venus: The Making of an Icon.
(https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b070sqb0). Write a reflection paper regarding the
said documentary.
Botticelli’s Venus, also known as the “Birth of Venus”, where the goddess of love and
beauty is depicted on land, on the island of Cyprus, having been born of the sea spray
and blown there by the winds Zephyr and, maybe, Aura. The goddess is standing on a
giant scallop shell, as pure and flawless as a pearl. She is greeted by a young woman
who holds out a flower-covered cloak and is frequently referred to as one of the Graces or
the Hora of Spring. Even the blown-in blooms serve as a reminder of spring.
Botticelli was a pioneer in mixing multiple elements to create his beautiful world. He
had to come up with something new because no one had ever seen anything like it
before. He is a close friend of Leonardo da Vinci who is mainly interested with science
and anatomy. Myths and philosophy, on the other hand, motivated Botticelli. Naked male
bodies were a common feature in classical art. Physical attractiveness was regarded as a
reflection of spiritual and moral virtues. Female representations were significantly less
numerous, yet Venus was one of the most popular of all the topics. During the
Renaissance, naked men and women started to reappear after centuries of Medieval
prudishness.
The painting was only rediscovered in the 19th century, after decades in obscurity.
Botticelli's masterpieces were already being overlooked in his final years. In the art world,
the artist had a lot of competition. He was eclipsed by great figures like Michelangelo and
Leonardo da Vinci. Botticelli's painting The Birth of Venus has become one of the most
famous images in all of art since Vasari's time. The innumerable references to it in
popular culture have amplified its presence in our collective consciousness over time. It
became an international trademark, a synonym for ideal feminine beauty in which
modernized artwork is used to make people laugh or smile, or as a means to get intrigued
and view the original artwork at a museum. With how people used Venus as their
reference point, it would be hard to imposed her because literally she is just perfect in
everyone’s eyes. A true idealization of beauty where she isn’t ashamed of her looks, her
body, her everything