Venus and Amor

This small decorative bust painting of Venus and Amor is a return to the ancient past in a wider meaning. The ideal portrait of a noble woman with an attractive hairdo was one of the popular themes of artists of Florence by the end of the Mannerist era. Thus they maintained the tradition based on the work of Sandro Botticelli (1444/1445–1510), Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) and Piero di Cosimo (1462–1521). Vasari named paintings depicting goddesses in a bust section, teste divine, in reference to the work of Michelangelo (1475 1564).

This unknown master depicted Venus with her head tilted to the right on her shoulders and with waves of hair falling to front and emphasized her identity with the inscription Venus. He also included Venus’s most frequent companion, Amor, who indicates the first letter of her name by the separated fingers of his hand lifted to his chest.

The artist gave a three-dimensional character to the figure through the use of deep shading. The details as well as the character of materials are clearly articulated. Although the bust of the goddess is the central motif of the painting, no special expression of feeling is visible on her face, only the contact with the spectator created by the recorded sight. The light coming from the left has a special meaning and value; it emphasizes the spiral rotation and her distinctive behavior, as if she were a member of a superior and cultivated court
circle.

The individualized portrait of Venus is also idealized and the use of the brooch for decoration is very general. The theme and simplified forms and the topical similarity to Vasari’s work are the strongest arguments for considering Florence as the origin of its creation. Giorgio Vasari’s figures are short, plump and robust, brought to life by poses, reserved in expression and in the case of stronger emotions with heads tilted upwards with open mouths. He also pays careful attention to the details of the jewelry and hairdos.
 

Zuzana Ludiková ● LUDIKOVÁ, Zuzana - BURAN, Dušan. Talianska maľba = Italian Painting. Bratislava : Slovenská národná galéria, 2013. 242 strán. ISBN 9788080591748.