"The Birth of Venus" ( fr. La Naissance de Vénus ) - the famous painting of the late academician Bouguereau .
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| Bouguereau, Adolphe William | ||
| The birth of Venus . 1879 | ||
| La naissance de venus | ||
| Oil on canvas . 300 × 218 cm | ||
| Orsay Museum , Paris | ||
| ( Inv. ) | ||
The painting does not depict the birth itself from the sea, but the movement of Venus in the shell from the open sea to Paphos in Cyprus . The shell is a typical symbol that accompanies the image of Venus. It symbolizes fertility , sensual pleasure and sexuality . The plot and composition resemble the picture of the same name by Sandro Botticelli , as well as the " Triumph of Galatea " by Raphael . The lines of the picture are sinuous, soft and tender. The color spectrum is mostly light, in the range between white and blue - colors that symbolize purity and divine origin. The artist made a clear emphasis on the figure of Venus, leaving the other characters in the shade. The sky in the picture is overcast, it foreshadows a thunderstorm, which can be both a symbol of difficulties awaiting the love symbolized by Venus, and just an optical effect explaining why most of the characters in the canvas are depicted in the shadows.
The painting is currently on display at the Orsay Museum in Paris .
Exhibitions
- Salon de la Société des artistes français, Paris, France, 1879
- William Bouguereau: 1825–1905, Paris, France, 1984
Literature
- Crespelle Jean-Paul, Les Maîtres de la belle époque, Paris, 1966
- Adhémar Hélène [sous la direction de], Chronologie Impressionniste: 1803–1905, Paris, 1981
- Gaudieri Alexander VJ - Burollet Thérèse - Atkinson Tracy, William Bouguereau 1825-1905 [cat. exp.], Paris, 1984
- Compin Isabelle - Roquebert Anne, Catalog sommaire illustré des peintures du musée du Louvre et du musée d'Orsay, Paris, 1986
- Compin Isabelle - Lacambre Geneviève - Roquebert Anne, Musée d'Orsay. Catalog sommaire illustré des peintures, Paris, 1990
- Lobstein, Dominique, Les Salons au XIXe siècle. Paris, capitale des arts, Paris, 2006
Links
- "The birth of Venus" in the database of the museum Orsay (Fr.)