Sandro Botticelli was the last painter of the Florentine School in the 15th century. His original name was Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi, and "Botticelli" was Nickname, originally meaning "keg". He learned gold and silver craftsmanship in his youth, and later turned to painter F. He became a disciple of Lippi and opened his own painting studio in 1470. He mainly paints religious and mythological themes, and "The Birth of Venus" is one of his masterpieces. Possibly influenced by Savonarola, who led the movement against the "improper" (including painting) of Renaissance Florence. In 1477, Botticelli painted the famous "Spring" for Lorenzo's newly purchased villa, based on the poet Politian's long poem praising Venus, the goddess of love. In 1485, he created another exquisite masterpiece, "The Birth of Venus". Botticelli also accepted orders from the church to paint murals for the church; he also made a set of outstanding pen and ink illustrations for the "Divine Comedy". In 1492, Lorenzo died, the Medici family was exiled, and the social and political situation changed. The nobility was restored and the people were in dire straits. Botticelli's heart was shaken, and his outlook on life and art underwent a major change. In the painting "Libel", his anger and protest are expressed. Botticelli became the greatest artist in Florence of that period with his poetic, graceful, unique and incredibly talented works. However, due to his extravagant spending, he became impoverished in his later years and relied on charity to survive. In the last few years of his life, he remained indifferent to world affairs and lived alone. In May 1510, Botticelli died of poverty and loneliness and was buried in the cemetery of the "All Saints" church in Florence.
"The Birth of Venus"
Venus is Aphrodite in ancient Greek mythology, the goddess of love and beauty. According to Greek mythology, Venus was born from the foam of the sea when Cronus threw the body of his father Uranus into the sea. In the second half of the 15th century, "The Birth of Venus" by Botticelli, the Florentine school of painting, showed the scene when the goddess of love and beauty was born: the young girl Venus had just emerged from the water, naked and stepping on the On top of a lotus leaf-like shell; she has a slender and muscular figure, a slender and plump figure, a graceful and dignified posture; her fluffy and thick hair forms a sharp contrast with her smooth and soft limbs, highlighting the elasticity and elasticity of her muscles. Her body was pleasing to the eye; the wind god Qiffel slowly brought her to the shore with a warm breeze; pink and white roses fell around her, and Pomona, the god of fruit trees, had already prepared a new red dress for her; The calm turquoise ocean and the vast blue sky rendered this beautiful and peaceful atmosphere. A beautiful and creative life was born! According to Greek mythology, Venus became an adult at birth. She had not experienced the body of a baby, had not gone through any non-beautiful process, and was born perfect. Obviously, the author presented exactly such a perfect image. However, if we take a closer look at Venus's expression, we will find that her dull, sluggish and slightly confused eyes still reveal pure childishness. This blend of human body and childish childish eyes is in Venus. The whole form of expression not only reflects the author's admiration for the classical artistic realm of Greece and Rome, but also reflects his enthusiasm for "Neo-Platonism". It is precisely because of this "admiration" and "enthusiasm" that his works are not only It is limited to the aesthetic temptation of the senses itself, but through contemplation of beauty, people's spiritual world can be purified and transcended, and people's soul can be sublimated. In fact, it was a combination of classical aestheticism and Christian asceticism, which was regarded as "heresy" by the Christian church at that time, a combination of Venus and the Virgin Mary, and a unity of spiritual beauty and physical beauty.