Mythological Allegory: Botticelli's La Primavera

La Primavera Google Art Project

          In Botticelli’s room at the Uffizi, many are drawn to the famous Birth of Venus but it is the larger, darker Primavera that commands the space. One of Botticelli’s most enigmatic pieces, La Primavera meaning spring is a visual masterpiece. Painted in 1482 for the wedding of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de’ Medici and Semiramide Appiani, Primavera is a deeply iconographical piece with the subject matter coming stemming from Ancient Greek and Roman mythology.  

The Three Graces

In this mythological allegory the elongated elegance of the figures, the five hundred naturalistic flowers creating the meadow, and the overall composition lead to the pure visual poetry of the piece as a whole. The scene takes place in Venus the goddess of not only love, but also of the gardens, realm. Her sacred grove is made up of orange trees, the Medici family’s symbol as well as apple and myrtle.  The goddess herself stands in front of a dark myrtle bush, a plant that she had used to clothe her nakedness when she was born from the sea. The other eight figures seem to float on the forward plane of the piece parting to give ample space to Venus in the center.  The trees around her also part, allowing for a view of the sky, thus creating a halo affect around her. Venus represents the goodwill of the piece, as it is her role to distinguishes the material values on the right and the spiritual values on the left. Above Venus, her blindfolded son Cupid is raring back to shoot an arrow into one of the Three Graces.  He is the procreative impulse of nature, with his flame-tipped arrows causing living things to fall into natures (Venus’) path. The entangled Three Graces to the left of Venus almost act as one entity on the picture plane. The diaphanous quality of their clothing is reminiscent of Lippi’s clothing and bear jewels in the color of the Medici family. Their relevance to the overarching theme of spring is as the attendants to Venus as well as the springtime Horae. Next to the Graces stands Mercury the messenger of the gods, as revealed by his winged sandals. There is other textual evidence namely the 1616 work by Girolamo Aleandrothat identifies Mercury as the god of the sun in the springtime as well as the month of May. There is also evidence that points to his role as a wind god, thus explaining his action in the corner, softening the clouds in a thin misty with his wand before they can encroach on the sunny spring day. In 1988, Horst Bredekamp put forth most emphatically the equivocation the mercury is in fact Lorenzo Medici. This idea is not backed by any particular evidentiary support but does lead to other ideas of his wife, Semiramide being represented as either the center grace, or Venus herself. 

Flora, Chloris, and Zephyr

To the right of the painting Zephyr (the blue faced young man), the God of wind chases the nymph Chloris, who turns into the goddess Flora. Whereas Chloris’ name stems from the literal quality of the greenness around her, Flora’s name comes from the latin word for flower. Flora representing the fertility of nature, reaches into her satchel and scatters flowers over the world. Seeing as spring is a perennial symbol of rebirth, the transformation of Chloris into Flora is fitting, as is her action of spreading life over the world. Spring is shown in two phases: from its beginning, with the blowing of the west wind (Zephyr) to its fullness in the month of April represented by Venus; and from April to its end in May, presided over by Mercury.

Principles of Design: Leonardo da Vinci's Annunciation

 Annunciation, 1472

Leonardo da Vinci

Tempera on wood, 98 x 217 cm

Wikipedia Creative Commons

Leonardo da Vinci is truly a Renaissance polymath, known for his excellence in most every field that he dipped his toe into. His ‘genius,’ as Vasari lives to call it, is perhaps more than that of any other figure, epitomized the Renaissance humanist ideal. Whereas many artists produce their greatest works later on, most all of da Vinci’s works from his early life to his later years are masterpieces. The Annunciation completed around 1472 for the sacristy of San Bartolommeo of Monteoliveto, is no exception. Even though this piece was created in Leonardo’s early days, when he was still an apprentice under his master Andrea del Verrocchio, the predella already illustrates da Vinci’s carful attention to the atmospheric changes in the landscape and the magic and unreal atmosphere created by mountains, water and sky. The girl, interrupted in her reading by this unexpected messenger, puts a finger in her bible to mark the place and raises her hand in a formal gesture of greeting or surprise. Visually the Annunciation is a beautiful piece, each design element working together, in a unique balance.

     Unity and variety:

In Annunciation the uniting factor behind the piece is its color scheme. The unity throughout the whole piece is created through the balance. Instead of having competing forces all around the painting, the colors works together from the darker tones in the grass and on Archangel Gabriel to the shadows inside of Mary’s room on the right. The darks in the trees in addition to their pointed shapes serve to move the eye up and out of the center as well as back into it 

  Balance:

The Virgin Mary close-up

In addition to the great balance of colors and shades, the figures and objects in the painting are spread throughout the plane. Gabriel kneels on the left while the Virgin Mary is seated on the right; so that the figures act as weights in the frame, separate entities, but interacting nonetheless creating a horizontal balance.

 Emphasis and focal point:

      The focal point of the piece seems to be the Virgin. The implied line from Gabriel’s outstretched  arm draws the eye to Mary. Her head clearly contrasts with the dark wall and the cornerstones whose parallel lines are converging on her and thereby framing her body. Da Vinci’s choice in color for the Virgin also elevates her significance, as light seems to radiate out from her hair and face.

  Rhythm: 
      Leonardo is a master painter through his subtle use of rhythm and thereby repetition throughout the piece. The orderly progression of the dark, individual blades of grass in addition to the lighter, wildflowers serve to move the eye gradually between the two figures. Other points of repetition include the folds and ripples in the cloth of both figures as well as the four, evenly spaced Cyprus trees in the landscape.

Close up of repetition in the plants

        Scale:

Da Vinci did not appear to adjust the scale in the painting, choosing to portray both figures the same size, thereby refusing to give one figure more dominance or importance over the other. The scale of the trees and the landscape in general serve to provide depth to the piece and elevate the painting from previous two-dimensional piece.
Proportion:

Throughout most of the painting the proportion appears to be spot on with one     exception, Mary. There is a conspicuous perspectival mistake: her right arm had to be painted too long proportionally, so that, despite her seated position, it would still be able to depict the impressive position other hand over the table holding the Bible.