We can see that in the classical realistic oil paintings handed down from generation to generation, there are many works by Venus, the goddess in ancient Greek mythology. For example, Botticelli's Spring and the Birth of Venus, giorgione's Sleeping Venus, Titian's Venus in the Mirror and urbino's Venus, Rubens' Garden of Love, Venus and Cupid, Velazquez's venus at her mirror and so on. Even in a sense, "Venus" has become a symbol of western classical culture and art.
People can't help asking, why are western classical realistic oil paintings so keen on expressing the theme of Venus, the goddess in ancient Greek mythology?
First, "Venus" and ancient Greek mythology
(A) the origin of "Venus"
In ancient Greek mythology, Venus was the goddess in charge and symbolized beauty, love and desire. It is said that Venus was born in a shell in the ancient Aegean Sea. She was born a beautiful girl with extraordinary temperament, always young and never aging. The goddess Venus was called Aphrodite in ancient Greece and Venus in ancient Rome. Because the literal meaning of "Venus" seems to be more beautiful, easy to read and remember, and later it became a customary title and title.
(2) The meaning of "God" in ancient Greek mythology and its expression to Venus.
There was a custom of worshipping "God" in ancient Greece and Rome. "God" is a mythical figure invented by people at that time, as a symbol or representative of beauty, ugliness, good and evil, truth and falsehood. In ancient Greek mythology, "God" has the same physical appearance and the same thoughts and feelings as people in real life, and "God" embodies people's beautiful ideal wishes and human desires and pursuits. That is, the so-called "harmony between man and nature" and "harmony between man and nature".
There are many stories about Venus in ancient Greek and Roman mythology, such as its birth, its love, its amorous feelings, its sadness and troubles.
Venus, as one of the main gods of Olympus 12 in ancient Greek mythology, is regarded as the "perfect goddess" in real life because of its beauty, wisdom, sentimentality, daring to love and hate, which is in line with people's traditional value judgment and aesthetic habits.
Secondly, why are western classical realistic oil paintings keen to express the theme of Venus?
(1) Classical realistic oil paintings express people's desires and other humanistic thoughts through Venus.
When it comes to this issue, we can't help but mention the Renaissance. Renaissance is an ideological and cultural enlightenment movement that rose in Europe in the 14 ~ 16 century, and is known as "a milestone in opening modern European civilization". The slogan of Renaissance is to restore and revive the culture and art of ancient Greece and Rome, with the aim of advocating the humanistic thought of human liberation. Its essence is to break through the shackles of feudal religious theocracy, oppose asceticism, and call on people to pursue the desire for a better life and the subjective value of human beings.
Because the religious theocracy was still dominant at that time, when painters created realistic oil paintings, they borrowed stories from ancient Greek mythology to express their humanistic thoughts and feelings, among which a large number of mythological themes about Venus were borrowed.
For example, in giorgione's Sleeping Venus, through the delicate description of Venus' sleeping mode in the open air and the beautiful description of the surrounding natural scenery, the humanistic thought of harmonious coexistence between man and nature is expressed. Titian's Venus in Urbino directly moved the goddess Venus from heaven to real-life houses. Here, Venus is no longer a goddess on high, but a woman on earth? She is beautiful and simple. Like many young girls of the same age, she has desires, dreams and pursuits. She is looking forward to the beautiful love surrounded by flowers, and looking forward to the beloved appearing beside her at the moment. ...
(2) Venus' classical realistic oil paintings express anxiety and dissatisfaction with reality.
Venus in classical realistic oil paintings is not all the beauty of spring, the pride of spring breeze, the bright and affectionate smile, but also the melancholy, sadness, entanglement and troubles of women in reality. The painter uses the story and image of Venus in his creation to express his anxiety and dissatisfaction with real life.
For example, Botticelli's Spring. In this painting, on an early spring day, the goddess Venus and three goddesses, the goddess flower and the goddess spring, the goddess wind and Cupid gather in a garden. Venus lives above the center of this painting. Some gods are dancing, some are working and some are chasing. Flowers are everywhere, green grass is everywhere, and it is full of spring. However, Venus's beautiful face is not smiling, but reserved with some melancholy and anxiety, as if worried about something bad.
The painter used this as a metaphor to show the imprisonment and repression of religious theocracy on human nature: even in such a beautiful spring, people can't talk about love freely, can't fully express their desires, and can't go against God's master and will, otherwise they will be punished. Venus at her mirror by Velazquez is the only human oil painting among nearly 1,000 works in the artist's life. On the one hand, this painting shows the rhythmic and energetic body curve beauty of young women through their backs; On the one hand, Venus' worried and melancholy face is reflected in the mirror. A blue ribbon hanging on the mirror symbolizes the theocracy of religion and the bondage of reality, and Venus' sad expression shows that people in reality, especially many young women, are troubled and miserable because they can't control their own destiny, including marriage and love, so that their youth dies easily and ages prematurely. ...
(c) Classical realistic oil paintings show the beauty of young women's looks and body curves through Venus.
Painting, as a visual aesthetic art presented by images, is characterized by shaping beauty and expressing beauty, and realistic oil painting is no exception. In western classical realistic oil paintings with the theme of Venus, the goddess in ancient Greek mythology, many of them express the beauty of young women in the name of Venus with beautiful shapes, plump images and gorgeous colors.
Classical realistic oil painting, through different styles, techniques and pictures, shapes the image of Venus, highlighting almost all the advantages of women, whether it is beautiful and dignified, pure and elegant, gentle and virtuous, enchanting and charming, delicate and delicate, graceful and noble, reserved and solemn, or charming, graceful, dancing, plump and handsome, or devil figure.
For example, bouguereau's The Birth of Venus shows the scene of the birth of Venus in an extremely beautiful and realistic way. Venus in the painting was born in the sea and stood on a pale yellow page in the wind. She has a beautiful face, fine eyes, jade arms to protect her chest, long hair fluttering, and a pure and innocent charm. Almost perfect body curve, full of youthful vitality and vigor.
Chazka's Venus and the Servant in the Garden shows the relaxed and happy expression and lively and romantic temperament of young women through the scene of Venus and two maids picking flowers and fruits with little Cupid in the garden. Caracciolo's Venus and adonis depicts the young hero adonis falling in love with Venus. Venus is immersed in the happiness of being loved, and the woman at this moment is the most beautiful. In West's "Venus Comfort Little Cupid", in the picture, Venus caresses little Cupid's head intimately with her hand and seems to whisper something to little Cupid. Through such a warm and beautiful picture performance, she showed a noble and great maternal spirit …