Detail from La Primavera.Detail from La Primavera pri·ma·ve·ra 1 or pri·ma ve·ra n. 1. A tree (Cybistax donnellsmithii) of Mexico and Guatemala, having opposite, palmately compound leaves, yellow flowers, and close-grained, light-colored wood. 2. (Spring) (circa 1475-1478). Chloris transformed into Flora, mother of flowers Tempera tempera (tĕm`pərə), painting method in which finely ground pigment is mixed with a solidifying base such as albumen, fig sap, or thin glue. on panel; 315 cm x 205 cm Sandro Botticelli La Primavera was painted for the Villa di Castello, which was owned by a branch of the Medici family. In 1815, the painting was moved to the Uffizi, where it is now. Botticelli's sophisticated understanding of perspective, anatomy, and the humanist debate of the Medici Medici, Italian family Medici (mĕ`dĭchē, Ital. mā`dēchē), Italian family that directed the destinies of Florence from the 15th cent. until 1737. court never overshadowed the poetry of his vision. An allegory of life, beauty, and knowledge united by love, La Primavera captures the freshness of an early spring morning, with the light shining through the tall, straight trees, already laden with their golden fruit. The meaning of La Primavera has been interpreted in many ways but remains enigmatic. One persisting interpretation suggests that the mythological figures in the painting undergo transformation to show a progressive sublimation sublimation, in chemistry sublimation (sŭblĭmā`shən), change of a solid substance directly to a vapor without first passing through the liquid state. of sensual love in intellectual contemplation. This sublimation is in accordance with the harmony that governs the cosmos and is evoked in the figure of Venus. The transformation of the mythological figures, which is of neoplatonic inspiration, uses symbols and episodes from classical literature, from Hesiod to Ovid, as well as interpretations of classical themes by Botticelli's contemporaries Leon Battista Alberti and Marsilio Ficino. On the right of the painting, Zephyrus (the warm wind of spring) seizes Chloris, the nymph nymph, in Greek mythology nymph (nĭmf), in Greek mythology, female divinity associated with various natural objects. It is uncertain whether they were immortal or merely long-lived. There was an infinite variety of nymphs. who will be transformed into Flora, mother of flowers. At the center of the painting, through the mediation of Eros and Venus (Ficino's Venus Humanitas, who arouses passion but also converts it into contemplation), the transformation moves on to the Three Graces. The Graces, an ancient symbol of liberality lib·er·al·i·ty n. pl. lib·er·al·i·ties 1. The quality or state of being liberal or generous. 2. An instance of being liberal. (Aglaia who gives, Euphrosyne who receives, Thalia who returns), in the most properly platonic sense, allude to the relationship between the divine element and the human. On the left, Mercury dispersing clouds marks the definitive arrival of the spiritual moment. Put in these terms, the theme of the painting may appear pedantic pe·dan·tic adj. Characterized by a narrow, often ostentatious concern for book learning and formal rules: a pedantic attention to details. ; however, Botticelli leaves the extrinsic meaning unresolved and controversial. Abstracted from Great Museums of the World, Uffizi Florence. Milan: Newsweek, Inc., and Arnold Mondadori Editore; 1968. |
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