Sandro Botticelli was born Alessandro di Mariano dei Filipepi in Florence to Mariano Filipepi in the year 1444. As his parents were 40 and 50 years old, he suffered from health problems during his childhood and throughout his entire life. The name "Il Botticello" meant "Little Barrel" and was probably a nickname for his older brother who was reportedly very obese. By the time of Botticelli’s death in 1510, this nickname had become the family surname.
After being apprenticed to Fra Filippo Lippi from 1458 to 1467, Botticelli met the Medici family and became a very close member of their circle of friends. In his Adoration of the Magi, Botticelli painted the Medici around the Holy family, surrounded by their closest friends and allies. Interestingly, this painting also contains the only suggested self-portrait of Botticelli, establishing himself as one of their friends.
While with the Medici, Botticelli met Simonetta, the great beauty who was to be is muse. It is commonly suggested that she served as a model for nearly all Botticelli’s later works, even though she died in 1976 at the age of 22. In all probability, Simonetta and Botticelli were never lovers, but Botticelli probably felt their friendship embodied the concept of Platonic love, in which the relationship between God and man is replicated between two people.
After the death of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco in 1492, Botticelli became a follower of the religious zealot, Girolamo Savonarola, who preached that the “Sword of God” was coming across the mountain to punish the sinners. Botticelli allegedly was so caught up in this movement that he burned some of his own paintings because he was afraid for his soul. His later paintings, including the Calumny of Apelles and the Lamentation Over the Dead Christ reflect the apocalyptic theme of Savonarola’s sermons.
Both of these periods in Botticelli’s art demonstrate that Botticelli loved new ideas and philosophies and illustrate the passion with which he pursued these new ideas. If the allegations that Botticelli painted Simonetta are true, than he must have believed she was the ideal woman and that their relationship resembled that between Man and God. He always painted her Venus, the Goddess of Love, or the Madonna, so it is apparent that he admire her.
From other paintings, one can discern Botticelli’s humor and wit. In Mars and Venus, Venus is shown alert and awake while Mars is asleep and nude. Four Satyrs play with his weapons and armor, showing their mischievous nature. Botticelli’s depiction of an exhausted Mars (after a romantic encounter with Venus) can be seen as a humorous commentary on Women’s triumph over sex and how it makes men unaware and somewhat useless.
Scholars do not know much about Botticelli, including why he painted the way he did or what his inspirations were. However, it seems as though he was passionate and insightful man with a clever wit. With the lack of documentation and written evidence, this might be all that can be guessed about him.
Response Questions:
1. Is there anything in my presentation that you would like me to explain further? (everyone do this question please.)
2. Dissect the Primavera and describe what it means in your opinion. Use your own knowledge about the Mythological figures or pictoral cues as evidence to explain your answer.
3. Botticelli reportedly painted only one self-portrait. Why do you think he chose to include his likeness in the Adoration of the Magi with the Medici rather than another painting?
4. Write a narrative about what is happening in Mars and Venus.
You gave a great presentation, but I would have liked to hear more about Botticelli as a person and his character. However, you were slightly crunched for time and maybe you just didn’t have time to discuss his character in the depth you’d hoped for.
ReplyDeleteThe Primavera is a beautiful painting. I have an extremely limited knowledge of mythological figures, but I will instead look at the pictoral cues left by Botticelli. The man to the far left looks pretty narcissistic and detached from the rest of the people in the painting. He is posing in such a way that suggests he is the most important part of the portrait. As he looks upward and toward the edge of the portrait he seems distracted by something. The three women to the left of the portrait all look relatively similar like they could be sisters. They are all portrayed to be beautiful women. Each woman is connected to the other by their interlocking fingers. It looks like the three are only concerned with each other. Next, I look to the woman in the center of the portrait. She looks motherly like she might want to take care of the other people in the portrait. She is beautiful and looking straight at the artist. Cupid is at the top of the portrait aiming his arrow. It appears that he is going to shoot the arrow at one of the women in the group of three, or the narcissistic man. Cupid is directly above the motherly woman reinforcing the center of the picture. I think the center of the picture is important because it ties everyone in the portrait together even though a person could actually divide the picture based on the people and their groupings. I kind of grouped the three people on the right side of the portrait together. I did this because they are each touching each other. The woman in the light brown dress is holding something and looks distracted by something that is not in the portrait. The woman to the right of the one in the brown dress looks to need help. She is wearing a dress similar to the three women I assumed to be sisters. Perhaps she is trying to get over to the sisters. This woman looks to be struggling with the wind and grasping for assistance. The wind looks cold because it is painted in grays and blues. Moving on to the background you notice the painting is in a forest. Maybe it is actually in an orchard. It looks like oranges are maybe growing on the trees. While the background looks dark, the fruit on the trees makes it seem more welcoming than the average forest. Maybe these people lived throughout this forest. As previously stated, I may be way off base because I am lacking the mythological knowledge of these gods, but that is my best attempt with the cues from the painting.
Prompt 1
ReplyDeleteI feel you gave an informative presentation on Botticelli considering that he is an artist that not much is known about. Of course, I would have liked to learn more about Botticelli’s personal life and why he painted the way he did but it sounds as if this information is unknown and would be speculation at best. Also, I would have liked to see more paintings and works of art by Botticelli but I understand that you were pressed for time. Overall, you delivered a great presentation!
Prompt 3
Adoration of the Magi is a colorful painting in which Botticelli paints himself on the right side of the canvas. Botticelli painted the Medici family around the Holy family and it seems as if he included his self portrait as an afterthought. The Medici family was surrounded by their friends and allies so perhaps Botticelli added his likeness in the crowd to show his support and love for the family. I think Botticelli included himself in this painting, rather than another, because he desperately wants to be part of the Medici family. The subjects in most of Botticelli’s other paintings are of gods, goddesses, and mythical creatures so it appears that he included himself in one of the few paintings that has his real friends in them. This reinforces my notion that Botticelli wanted to be part of the Medici family.
As a brief aside, Adoration of the Magi is supposedly the only self portrait Botticelli created but I wonder if he actually painted more than just the one. I wonder this because it was stated that Botticelli burned many of his works of art while following the words of Girolamo Savonarola. He was concerned for his soul so maybe he burned his other self portraits in hopes of protecting it. This is only my assumption but it just seems strange to me that an artist like Botticelli would only paint one self portrait and place that in a painting with others as the main subjects.
Prompt 4
When I look at Botticelli’s Mars and Venus, I can envision what he is trying to show the viewer, a couple after a romantic encounter, but I also can see the couple with a slightly different sequence of events. To me, it looks like the man was taking a break from his guard post and the couple ran off to have a romantic day in the park. Then right when they got comfortable, the man suddenly fell asleep and the afternoon was ruined. The reason I feel this way is because of the unnatural position the man is in. I would think it would be hard to fall asleep half reclined, on the ground, and with your head hanging backwards. It almost seems as if the man suffers from narcolepsy and could not resist the urge to sleep. Also, the woman’s facial expression seems upset, as if her perfect afternoon was ruined by her lover’s inability to stay awake.
Kelley,
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for introducing me to Botticelli. I could recognize his name, but did not connect the art with the artist until your presentation. I imagine it was difficult at times with your reported lack of solid sources for Boticelli’s personal life, but you did well to downplay that fact. As for facets of the presentation I would have liked to know more about, I would say I really did not quite follow the section on his time with the Medici family. I guess I was simply not aware of whom they were, or their significance, but I would assume you go into more detail on them in the research paper. If not, I would suggest exploring the exciting world of footnotes. Anyway, that is about it. Being that I love creative writing more than simply answering questions, I will be doing prompt #4.
A Fallen Soldier
Indeed, the caress of a woman is a dangerous proposition. This simple, fleeting touch had stripped him of everything. Whatever he was, whatever was still left of his soul, she had taken it from him. But it was a willing transaction. The thought that anyone would be willing to carry the burden for him was too enticing.
He awoke to the harsh midday sun peering into his eyes through a break in the overgrowth. Her scent was still in the air, a deceptive memory. Everything was gone. His clothes, armor, and armaments were all missing. But that mattered very little to him now. They were material items, frivolities compared to what she symbolized.
Standing and securing the loin cloth about his waste, the man began the trek back home. It was a lonely path, one he had traveled too many times. But he had hardly been alone in a physical sense. He had been leading hundreds of men, charged with the responsibilities of a leader. She was not impressed with his power, nor did she bow to his authority. That is what had captivated him.
He stumbled suddenly, falling hard to the earth. His foot had been caught by some protrusion. The culprit was his lance, strewn to the ground as if children had been playing with it. His other raiment was likewise scattered about. As he began to pick up his things, a soft sound beckoned him away. It was her.
She stood serenely, her skin glistening in the sun. The light white cloth, which also had an orange-gold draping that matched her hair, swayed gently with the wind. A foolish smile crossed his face, and she mirrored it, also embarrassed. He tried to speak, but could not formulate words. She would oblige to speak for him. “You are such a peaceful sleeper.”
He stuttered a return. “How, how did this happen?” Once again a smile crept upon her face. “I have to get back,” he continued. But his words were simply a defense. He felt like simply dropping to his knees and worshipping her beauty.
“By all means. Go have fun with your horses and your weapons and your killing.” Her demeanor had now changed. He tried to reply, but she stopped him with her fingers to his lips. “When will you realize how much you hurt me?” She turned away from him and his heart sank like a stone in a bottomless lake. “Everything you stand for. And for what?”
“It’s what I was chosen for,” he replied lamely. She shakes her head and begins to fade into the distance. He tries to follow, but the weight of his belongings suddenly takes a toll on his weary body. He drops to the ground and reaches for her, desperate. She turns to look at him one last time.
“You have a choice. You always have a choice.”
There were a few things that I wondered about Botticelli after the presentation, but I doubt that history holds the answers; so little is known about him. The first thing that struck me was his sudden religious fervor. We can surmise that Girolamo Savonarola must have been extremely charismatic to win over such a personality as Botticelli.
ReplyDeleteThen again, maybe I’m speculating too much as to what Botticelli’s personality was like. For all I know, he was always quite pious deep down, and Savonarola just held a particularly fierce brand of religion. However, looking at his paintings, I don’t get the sense of a deeply pious man. The Mars and Venus painting is an obviously a cheeky allusion to a post-coital scene, with Venus looking at the sleeping Mars as if to say, “Is that it?”
His cheekiness is not confined for the Greek and Roman myths, either; the man in the Adoration of the Magi who is reputed to be a self portrait gazes brazenly back at the viewer instead of toward the Christ child. His attitude separates him from the crowd and draws your eye to him, and you can’t help but wonder what he knows that the rest of the adorers do not. He seems almost like a time traveler, hidden in the crowd, who knows the significance of the moment and its huge impact on history but doesn’t need to watch because he knows exactly what will happen. Instead, he looks to us, the people of his time, and seems to say, “I am the author of this moment; I brought you here.”
It makes perfect sense that scholars think that this is probably a self portrait. The whole painting is oriented toward the baby Jesus, with the crowd separated into two vaguely triangular groups that are positioned slightly below the holy family. The people closer to the center are kneeling, leaning and hunching to allow a good view of the baby, and their bodies lean towards him. Meanwhile, a beam of light points directly down the center of the composition. Even Mary, Joseph, and Cosimo de Medici make a triangle centered around Jesus. Mary is holding the baby, but is holding him away from her body so that she is slightly to the right of him. Joseph is above, and Cosimo is venerating him from the left. All of this deliberate, intentional and effective positioning is employed – and then, on the edge of the piece, there is an interruption to the flow. The strange, bold man on the right is turned towards the center, but his face is not. There is simply no way that this is accidental or coincidental; Botticelli fully intended for us to notice this man.
I think that’s why he chose this painting to insert a self portrait. He was already honoring his patrons by painting the Medicis into the scene, and so historical accuracy clearly wasn’t his first priority. Additionally, he had the ability with this painting to make himself distinct but not to upstage from the subject. The flow of the scene is strong enough that he can interrupt it, but there is large enough crowd element that he doesn’t entirely usurp it. He’s also positioned on the very outer edge, so he goes unnoticed until you begin to really look at the painting. Botticelli was clearly a clever artist, and the Adoration of the Magi gave him a chance to show off his wit.