Monday, December 10, 2012

Sandro Botticelli

Sandro Botticelli

Sandro Botticelli was born in 1445 in Florence, Italy. He was an apprentice to Fra Filippo Lippi at fourteen-years-old. He belonged to the Florentine school under the patronage of Lorenzo de' Medici.His work was characterized by a conception of the figure as if seen in low relief, drawn with clear contours, and minimizing strong contrasts of light and shadow. His most famous pieces include The Birth of Venus (1486) and Venus and Mars (1483). Most of his work was created in Florence. He was one of the followers of Savonarola, who preached in Florence from 1490 until his execution in 1498, though no one is quite sure of the extent of Savonarola's influence. It is believed that Botticelli was in love with a married noble woman named Simonetta Vespucci and used her as a model for his most famous paintings. Historians are still uncertain of his sexuality because of an accusation of sodomy. Botticelli died May 17, 1510 in Florence Italy. He was buried at the feet of Simonetta in the Church of Ognissanti.

14 comments:

  1. You may not be a full fledged Rafael, but, you are okay, Botticelli. I too know what it feels like to be accused of something you didn't do, Rape for me, and Sodomy for you. Society should refute these outlandish claims and let us live our lives!

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    1. Someone understands... thank you, Heironymous.

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  2. Your depictions of Venus were beautiful! The model was daaaaaaamn hot!

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  3. The Birth of Venus is my favorite piece of yours!

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  4. I really like that you paint some Roman mythology.

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  5. That's cool that you really liked Roman mythology especially Venus, Me too. Your self-portrait is really unique.

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  6. Your works are very impressive, however your social life seems a bit... odd. You should probably stay away from married women and dead bodies.

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  7. My favorite work by you is "Mystic Nativity". I like your use of using several small figures to create a lively, active scene.

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  8. The Birth of Venus is exquisite. I love the colors, the texture, Venus's appearance, and the overall innocent effect. Beautiful.

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  9. My favorite part of your depiction of Venus and Mars is the random baby fawns-part goat part baby in the background.

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  10. The stark contrast and moral that love conquers war is perfectly accentuated in Venus and Mars.

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  11. Thank you all for being so kind and interested in my work!

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