Alessandro di Mariano Filippepi, better known as Sandro Botticelli, was one of the greatest Italian Renaissance painters. He was born in 1445 in Florence. He began painting at the age of 18. He apprenticed under Filippo Lippi, Florence’s most famous painter. He later established his own studio. He was influenced by Andrea del Verrocchio, Leonardo da Vinci’s teacher. Botticelli painted many portraits, through which he established his reputation. He painted portraits of prominent figures in Florentine high society. He painted works with religious and mythological themes. Botticelli died in May 1510.
«The Allegory of Spring» (La Primavera), a painting that symbolizes the arrival of the season of the same name, is one of his most important works. The painting depicts Aphrodite, the goddess of love, in her garden, flanked by the three Graces, Hermes, Eros, Flora (goddess of flowers), and Zephyr, who is chasing a nymph. In 1480, Botticelli presented one of his most popular paintings, «The Birth of Venus.» The source of inspiration for this painting is Homer; it depicts the moment when Aphrodite arrives on the island of Kythira after her birth. On the left, Zephyrus and Aura are trying to blow a breeze so that the goddess can reach the shore. There, one of the Horae welcomes her to cover her with a cloak. Aphrodite is depicted in accordance with the classical proportions of ancient statues, while her pose follows the model of the Modest Aphrodite (Venus Pudica).
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