Primavera is a panel painting by the Italian painter Sandro Botticelli in the late 1470s or early 1480s. It is quite large, measuring approximately 2 meters by 3 meters and is now exhibited in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence. This painting, which is one of the most talked about works of art history, is also an important symbol of the Italian renaissance.
Based on the records, it is thought that the painting was ordered by Lorenzo di Medici as a wedding gift to his cousin, who married at an early age. Botticelli was already one of the artists under the protection of the wealthy and famous Medici family at that time. Just like Da Vinci.
When we look at the content of the picture, we see nine independent mythological characters. These characters form an allegory of nature's burgeoning fertility with spring. When the picture is read from right to left, the beginning and the end of spring are seen.
On the far right is Zefir, the god of wind, who suddenly appears to leap out of the trees with his wings in blue-gray tones. We see him blowing air while chasing a fairy (nymphe).
The fairy girl, on the other hand, runs away from Zefir in fear, and flowers fall from her mouth. Here, those flowers form a whole with the flowers in Flora's outfit, perhaps the most beautiful and attractive figure in the painting. Flora gathered the flower pieces on her dress at the skirt of her dress. In fact, lines from the Roman poet Ovidius' "Fasti" are depicted here. According to the story, in this scene, which symbolizes the birth of spring, the fairy girl Chloris, who escaped from Zefir, was caught by him, she reluctantly marries him, and Zefir transforms Chloris into Flora. And spring begins with flowers pouring out of her mouth and spreading to the earth… In other words, these two figures in the painting, Chloris and Flora, are the same person.
In the middle of the picture is Venus (Aphrodite in Greek mythology). It is aimed to draw attention to it in the painting by placing it inside the tree shape in the form of an arch. Behind it is a garden covered with citrus trees and flowers.
Although Venus is the goddess of love and beauty in mythology, it also offers life and fertility to the earth and, in a sense, defines spring. Unlike Venus in The Birth of Venus, another famous painting by Botticelli, the figure here is clothed. This tells us that the Venus we see is the Earth Venus. While the celestial Venus depicted naked is pure and natural, the earth Venus has lost its purity by indulging in earthly pleasures. According to philosophers who defended Neoplatonic thought, which gained importance in the early renaissance period, Venus ruled both earthly and divine love and was the classical equivalent of the Virgin Mary. The fact that it is depicted in an altar-like arch frame also strengthens this view.
Just above Venus is a winged figure of Eros with his bow drawn. In Western painting, these winged little boys are called Cupids. However, cupids with bow and arrow symbolize Eros. In this picture, Eros is blindfolded. In Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream, "Love does not look with the eyes, but looks with the mind, and therefore the winged cupid is portrayed blind." says. Neoplatonic philosopher Pico della Mirandola also expresses this representation with the words "Whoever is caught in the imagination of spiritual beauty, his bodily eyes become blind".
On the left are the Three Beauties, holding hands and dancing, celebrating the arrival of spring in sheer tulle outfits. It is easy to understand that this painting was created by Botticelli with its dresses, which are given the appearance of tulle with a special technique, their elegant postures and their closeness to the idealized female figure in the Renaissance. The three beauties are referred to as "Kharits" in Greek mythology. This name comes from the word "kharis", which means shine, sparkle, beauty. These girls, whose names are: Aglaie, Euphrosyne and Thalia, are the daughters of Zeus. According to the neoplatonic view, they symbolize love, beauty, and passion. Again, according to this view, the concept these girls represent is spiritual beauty. The pearls on their heads are also a sign of their purity. With the concepts they represent, these three beautiful girls almost complete Venus in the picture.
On the far left of the painting, we see Mercury (Hermes in Greek mythology), one of the important figures of classical mythology. Mercury is the son of Zeus and the messenger god. In this painting, Botticelli made a small gesture to Lorenzo di Medici, who was also his friend, and used his face while painting Hermes. Hermes turns his back on the composition and seems unrelated to the environment, but helps the arrival of spring by dispersing the winter clouds over the garden with his wand.
Although the painting is generally painted on a dark background despite the name "spring", the painter has placed such a large number of realistic flowers that it illuminates the viewers even on this background.
Botticelli painted more than 500 flowers of about 190 different types in this painting. From roses to strawberry flowers, from hyacinths to periwinkles, from carnations to irises and more… The orange tree and flowers that we see behind Venus are also symbols of the Medici family. All flowers are so similar to their original form that experts have been able to easily identify many of their species. Even this detail alone makes this painting not only an ordinary wedding gift, but also one of the most valuable paintings in art history that has survived 500 years.
Botticelli was undoubtedly one of the most valuable artists of the early renaissance period. The painter, who has very elegant lines, has always tried to give the perception of ideal beauty in his works. Today, Botticelli, whose many paintings we are familiar with; He is a painter far ahead of his time with his style, lines and colors.
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