with love, la primavera

Spring Equinox and sun rays.
Flowers are growing again and the leaves on the trees are making a comeback.
Children are playing outside again, which is better than playing at home and disturbing the neighbours.
Isn’t it fitting to publish a painting literally named ’Spring’?

La Primavera (1482) by Sandro Botticelli

This painting is huge! It’s apparently 203x314cm and located in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, although it used to hang in the summerhouse of the Medici Family.
It inicludes Venus in the center, Zephyrus to the right taking a nymph names Chloris who transforms into Flora, the goddess of Spring and flowers (she transforms into Flora after being successfully taken by Zephyrus and gets married to him). She’s seen throwing flowers to the ground, symbolizing fertility and springtime.

Mercury, the god of the month of May, is telling the winter clouds to basically go fuck themselves and leave room for Spring. The Three Graces are seen to the right of Mercury and represent Love, Beauty and Chastity and the pearls of their heads symbolize purity. And who can forget about Cupid at the very top, above Venus? Blindfoldes and ready to shoot his arrow of love. Which one of the Three Graces will get it? Who knows?

Not much is known about this painting, as in the story behind it. But that’s the beauty about art. All paintings doesn’t have to have a deep meaning behind them. They can just be beautiful on their own and it’s okay to just love, admire and respect a painting simply for its beauty.

But it’s absolutely brilliant that Botticelli placed Venus not only in the center, but also as if there’s a lung on each side of her head and her head in front on a human heart. The lungs and heart being the giver of life placed around Venus, the goddess of love, because love is life?

If you wish to learn more:
Artmajeur – Allegory of the Spring by Sandro Botticelli (video, 1min)
Smarthistory – In the garden with Venus, Botticelli’s Primavera (video, 4min 15sek)
The Art Doctor – Botticelli helps you change: Art Doctor Quickies | Sandro Botticelli, La Primavera, c.1480 (video, 6min 35sek)

Other artworks that I’ve written about: Lover of art
Hellelil and Hildebrand
René Magritte
La cama Inglesa
The birth of Venus
Anguish