Allegory of Spring

Nathanael Schmitt

Claudi Lorenzale (Spanish, 1816 - 1889) Allegory of Spring, ca. 1847 Museu Nacional D'art de Catalunya

Sandro Botticelli Primavera (c. 1480) Tempera grassa on wood, 207 x 319 cm   The Uffizi Gallery, Florence

Highlights from around the web 💫

✨ Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi (c. 1445 – 1510), known as Sandro Botticelli, was an Italian painter of the Early Renaissance. Botticelli's posthumous reputation suffered until the late 19th century, when he was rediscovered by the Pre-Raphaelites who stimulated a reappraisal of his work. Since then, his paintings have been seen to represent the linear grace of late Italian Gothic and some Early Renaissance painting, even though they date from the latter half of the Italian Renaissance period. [1]

✨ The nickname Botticelli, meaning "little barrel", derives from the nickname of Sandro's brother, Giovanni, who was called Botticello apparently because of his round stature. A document of 1470 refers to Sandro as "Sandro Mariano Botticelli", meaning that he had fully adopted the name. [2] 

✨ This painting, usually known as the Primavera [or ‘Spring’] depicts nine figures from classic mythology advancing over a flowery lawn in a grove of orange and laurel trees. In the foreground, to the right, Zephyrus embraces a nymph named Chloris before taking her; she is then portrayed after her transformation into Flora, the spring goddess. The centre of the painting is dominated by the goddess of love and beauty, Venus, chastely dressed and set slightly back from the others, and by a blindfolded Cupid, firing his arrow of love. On the left, the three Graces, minor goddesses with virtues like those of Venus, are shown dancing in a circle. The composition is closed by Mercury, messenger of the Gods, recognisable from his helmet and winged sandals, as he touches a cloud with his staff. [3]

✨ Although the complex meaning of the composition remains a mystery, the painting is a celebration of love, peace, and prosperity.  The dark colour of the vegetation is in part due to the aging process of the original pigment, but is lightened by the abundance of fruits and flowers. At least 138 species of different plants have been identified, all accurately portrayed by Botticelli, perhaps using herbaria. The attention to detail confirms the artist’s commitment to this piece, which is also evident in the sheer skill with which the paint has been applied. [4]

↪ Get this design on a t-shirt, sweatshirt, or notebook 🥀

Josef Mandl - Allegory of spring (before 1900).

#0015

@ KHM Vienna, totally worth it going there but I barely saw anything after 6h :(

La Source by Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres (1820-56)

An Allegory of Spring

By Valère Bernard

An Allegory of Spring and An Allegory of Summer

Hans Zatzka

Spring by Edouard Manet, 1881.

Wow what cute mascots! I'm so happy nothing bad happens to them or the guys they represent!

François Boucher (1703-1770) "Winter" (1755), "Spring" (1755) "Summer" (1755), "Autumn" (1755) Oil on canvas Rococo

La Primavera by Sandro Botticelli, 1482

✨ D E T A I L S ✨

Sandro Botticelli Primavera, c. 1480 Tempera grassa on wood

↪ Get this design on a t-shirt, sweatshirt, or notebook 🥀

Illustration from La Baïonnette - Aug. 1915 - via Gallica

Henry Meynell Rheam (British,1859 - 1920), Winter gives way to Spring, 1900, pencil and watercolour with bodycolour and gum arabic on paper, 30½ × 17 in. (77.5 x 43.2 cm.)