The Birth of venus in popular culture
Published on Nov 18, 2015
An examination of Botticelli's 'The Birth of Venus' in popular culture.
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PRESENTATION OUTLINE
The Birth of venus in popular culture
Lesley Jones, ART115-191
This presentation examines two objects found in pop culture that reference Botticelli's 'The Birth of Venus'.
Photo by zipckr
The original
Here is the original work, painted by Sandro Botticelli between 1482 and 1485. The medium is tempera and gold on canvas.
The painting was commissioned by the Medici family in Florence, though the details of the commission are unclear. The original is currently displayed in the Uffizi Gallery Museum in Florence, Italy: http://www.uffizi.org/artworks/the-birth-of-venus-by-sandro-botticelli/
The painting was commissioned by the Medici family in Florence, though the details of the commission are unclear. The original is currently displayed in the Uffizi Gallery Museum in Florence, Italy: http://www.uffizi.org/artworks/the-birth-of-venus-by-sandro-botticelli/
Photo by zipckr
who am i looking at?
- Venus was the Roman goddess of love, beauty and fertility
- On the left are Zephyr and the nymph Chloris
- On the shore is Ora - a handmaid
In the center of the painting, we see a nude Venus on a shell. She is not looking straight ahead and instead is looking down demurely. She is covering the private areas of her body with her hair and halfheartedly with her arm, but this actually draws the viewer's attention to those areas instead of distracting from them.
Venus is being blown towards the shore by Zephyr and his love, the nymph Chloris. Venus is being born of the sea as a fully grown woman.
On the right is Ora - a handmaid. She's offering a flowered cloak to Venus so that she can cover herself.
Venus is being blown towards the shore by Zephyr and his love, the nymph Chloris. Venus is being born of the sea as a fully grown woman.
On the right is Ora - a handmaid. She's offering a flowered cloak to Venus so that she can cover herself.
Photo by zipckr
but what does it mean?
- The nude Venus represents the Neoplatonic idea of divine love
- Zephyr and Chloris are symbols of spiritual passions
- The shell is a metaphor for a woman's vulva
- The violets in the meadow are symbolic of love
The nude Venus in this piece represents the Neoplatonic idea of divine love. The idea here is that contemplation of physical beauty allows you to better understand spiritual beauty. So, viewing this beautiful nude goddess would actually lift the viewer's mind closer to the Creator.
The Neoplatonic philosophical message of this painting is this: the birth of love and spiritual beauty as a driving force of life.
The Neoplatonic philosophical message of this painting is this: the birth of love and spiritual beauty as a driving force of life.
Photo by zipckr
Modern Object #1: Lady Gaga's ARTPOP Album Cover
The first object that I'll examine is the album cover artwork for Lady Gaga's ARTPOP album. This artwork was created by Jeff Koons and was released in 2013.
what's going on here?
- A sculpture of Lady Gaga is the focus
- Shards of the original are in the background
- You also see glimpses of Bernini's 'Apollo and Daphne'
The main focus of this artwork is a nude sculpture of Lady Gaga. In the background, you can see shards of Botticelli's original work alternating with shards of a marble statue, which is Bernini's 'Apollo and Daphne'.
Between Gaga's legs is a large blue metallic pearl. There's a reflection in the pearl that is presumably the studio in which this work was created.
Love it or hate it, Lady Gaga takes her art very seriously. The album artwork represents her giving birth to art.
The artist behind this cover (Jeff Koons) explained Gaga as Venus in this way:
"And also in this triangular shapes that go out is Botticelli's 'The Birth of Venus,' presenting Gaga of course in the role of Venus — of the nature of the continuation of life's energy and the pursuit and the enjoyment of aesthetics and of beauty. And of the desire to continually have transcendence."
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1717125/lady-gaga-artpop-album-art-jeff-ko...
Between Gaga's legs is a large blue metallic pearl. There's a reflection in the pearl that is presumably the studio in which this work was created.
Love it or hate it, Lady Gaga takes her art very seriously. The album artwork represents her giving birth to art.
The artist behind this cover (Jeff Koons) explained Gaga as Venus in this way:
"And also in this triangular shapes that go out is Botticelli's 'The Birth of Venus,' presenting Gaga of course in the role of Venus — of the nature of the continuation of life's energy and the pursuit and the enjoyment of aesthetics and of beauty. And of the desire to continually have transcendence."
http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1717125/lady-gaga-artpop-album-art-jeff-ko...
Modern Object #2: Lady Gaga's 'Applause' Music Video
The second object that I'll examine is the music video for Lady Gaga's 'Applause'.
If you'd like to see this video in its' entirety, please visit: http://youtu.be/pco91kroVgQ
It was directed by Inez & Vinoodh and references LOTS of different artists and pieces of art, not just Botticelli's piece. There's also a humorous article about the art and pop influences in the video here: http://www.swide.com/celebrities/pop-icon/lady-gaga-applause-video-all-the-...
The image that you see here is a still from the video that references the original work by Botticelli.
If you'd like to see this video in its' entirety, please visit: http://youtu.be/pco91kroVgQ
It was directed by Inez & Vinoodh and references LOTS of different artists and pieces of art, not just Botticelli's piece. There's also a humorous article about the art and pop influences in the video here: http://www.swide.com/celebrities/pop-icon/lady-gaga-applause-video-all-the-...
The image that you see here is a still from the video that references the original work by Botticelli.
what's going on here?
- Gaga is wearing a clamshell bikini, reminding us of the original
- Gaga's hair is similar to Venus'
- The pose that she strikes sets a very different tone
- Instead of friendly beings around her, we see angry-looking drawn hands
Gaga is Venus in (parts of) this video. She's wearing a clamshell bikini that reminds us of the shell that Venus stands on in Botticelli's work.
The pose that Gaga strikes in this moment of the video is very different than that of Venus in the original work. Also, instead of the friendly-looking characters flanking Venus in the original, we see angry looking drawn hands reaching out to grab Gaga.
Where the original piece shows a demure Venus striking a calm pose in a serene setting, Gaga strikes a triumphant pose in an intense and possibly threatening environment.
I interpret this as Gaga representing a new idea of beauty as strength, confidence and poise, even in intense situations.
The pose that Gaga strikes in this moment of the video is very different than that of Venus in the original work. Also, instead of the friendly-looking characters flanking Venus in the original, we see angry looking drawn hands reaching out to grab Gaga.
Where the original piece shows a demure Venus striking a calm pose in a serene setting, Gaga strikes a triumphant pose in an intense and possibly threatening environment.
I interpret this as Gaga representing a new idea of beauty as strength, confidence and poise, even in intense situations.
summary
- Thoughtful references of the original
- Original work remains the same; these offer an updated view
- They get it!!
The two modern pieces that I examined are different pieces, but they work together to communicate the theme of an album.
For me, these two modern pieces do not change the meaning of the original. Instead, I think that they serve as ways to offer a more modern view of the work. I think that both the album cover and the music video give us thoughtful references to the original work. It seems clear to me that there's a great sense of respect for Botticelli's piece.
Do the creators of the modern pieces "get it"? In these cases, I think they really do get it. I don't think they're trying to change the meaning or interpretation of the original. They seem to understand, respect, and be inspired by the original.
For me, these two modern pieces do not change the meaning of the original. Instead, I think that they serve as ways to offer a more modern view of the work. I think that both the album cover and the music video give us thoughtful references to the original work. It seems clear to me that there's a great sense of respect for Botticelli's piece.
Do the creators of the modern pieces "get it"? In these cases, I think they really do get it. I don't think they're trying to change the meaning or interpretation of the original. They seem to understand, respect, and be inspired by the original.
Photo by Jason Pier in DC
Sources
- Martins, Chris. "Lady Gaga's 'Artpop' Recasts 'Birth of Venus' via Jeff Koos." Spin. Spin Magazine, 07 Oct 2013. Web. 16 Feb 2014. .
- "Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli at Uffizi Gallery in Florence." Guide to Uffizi Gallery Museum. N.p.. Web. 15 Feb 2014. .
- "The Birth of Venus (Botticelli)." Wikipedia. N.p., 19 Jan 2014. Web. 17 Feb 2014. .
- Ehrlich, Brenna. "MTV." Lady Gaga's ARTPOP Cover. N.p., 08 Nov 2013. Web. 17 Feb 2014. .
1. Martins, Chris. "Lady Gaga's 'Artpop' Recasts 'Birth of Venus' via Jeff Koos." Spin. Spin Magazine, 07 Oct 2013. Web. 16 Feb 2014. .
2. "Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli at Uffizi Gallery in Florence." Guide to Uffizi Gallery Museum. N.p.. Web. 15 Feb 2014..
3. "The Birth of Venus (Botticelli)." Wikipedia. N.p., 19 Jan 2014. Web. 17 Feb 2014..
4. Ehrlich, Brenna. "MTV." Lady Gaga's ARTPOP Cover. N.p., 08 Nov 2013. Web. 17 Feb 2014..
2. "Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli at Uffizi Gallery in Florence." Guide to Uffizi Gallery Museum. N.p.. Web. 15 Feb 2014.
3. "The Birth of Venus (Botticelli)." Wikipedia. N.p., 19 Jan 2014. Web. 17 Feb 2014.
4. Ehrlich, Brenna. "MTV." Lady Gaga's ARTPOP Cover. N.p., 08 Nov 2013. Web. 17 Feb 2014.
