Mythic Art: Calumny of Apelles

Calumny of Apelles
Sandro Botticelli, Calumny of Apelles, 1497
Mythic Art

By MISSY ROSENTHAL 

Calumny of Apelles depicts a dramatic court case where the physical manifestation of Slander or Calumny (illustrated in brown with a decadent golden staff) with the help of his assistants drag an innocent man to the King. Each figure in the piece represents a different emotion or action, for instance, those who assist Slander are Fraud and Conspiracy. One of the attendants attempts to break apart the bond (exemplified by the physical bond of the characters through their hair) of Slander, Fraud and Conspiracy. The woman in the black cloak (Repentance) mourns for the young man's salvation while staring at Truth. Envy dressed in green and Ignorance dressed in red surround King Midas and whisper into his ear. 

Botticelli created this work based off of the painting completed by Apelles. Apelles', a renowned artist of the Hellenistic period of Alexander the Great, work did not survive. However, Lucian of Samosata who was a writer and commentator of the time period, recorded the details of the piece and the story itself. Although, the contents of the story are myth, Apelles himself was wrongfully accused of assisting Theodutus of Aetolia in revolting in Tyre. Shortly before Apelles was sent to execution, Apelles' friend revealed the truth and his accuser was sold into slavery. 

The Renaissance in Italy sought to revive the old cultures of Greece and Rome. Renaissance Italy was fascinated by the story of the myth and Apelles' actual story. A Florentine banker commissioned Botticelli to paint this work in the Papal Mint. The piece contains decadent sculpture and gold throughout the palace, a reference to the famous fable about King Midas, in which everything he touches subsequently turns to gold. Botticelli's Calumny of Apelles discusses bias in the legal justice system, prejudice in Roman and contemporary society and importance of art in lives of the ruling class. For these reasons, Calumny of Apelles serves a representative piece of mythology in art. 

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Art History Not-So-Hotties: Redeemer of Blessing

Missy Rosenthal
Sandro Botticelli, Redeemer of Blessing, 1500
By MISSY ROSENTHAL

Botticelli's Redeemer of Blessing showcases Jesus in not his best state, and for that reason he sits at the top of Art History not-so Hotties list. He sports a slightly open robe, unkempt facial hair and a slightly pale exterior. Recently-resurrected, crossed-eyed Jesus' expression mirrors that of a frat boy just awoken from a drunken daze who must muddle through a full day's classes. 

Botticelli painted this work during his late religious period. He painting reflects  Savonarola's (the radical dominican friar that took Italy's political scene by storm) influence on his work.  In addition Botticelli's religious period was influenced by a Northern European artist, Hans Memling, especially from his work Lamentation over Dead Christ. Botticelli and Memling's work both illustrate Jesus' lacerations.

Jesus' physical appearance looks unattractive to his audience in modern day. However, Botticelli does this in order to make biblical study more relatable to sinners. Another way Botticelli relates to the commoner is by appearing weak. Botticelli and Savonarola both emphasizes that everyone can become weak in the face temptation. Jesus' open robe over his heart symbolizes his sympathy and open heart for sinners who repent. 





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The Banquet in the Pine Forest

Charnai Anderson
Sandro Botticelli, The Banquet in the Pine Forest, 1483
by CHARNAI ANDERSON
Initially, I fell in love with the openness and taste of warmth I get from this painting. But, similar to when you are finding a book or a perhaps a mate, we must not judge this painting by what appeals to the eye, rather we must explore the inner beauty. One must be informed that this painting does not stand alone, it is a part of a series called, The Story of Nastagio degli Onesti. The four paintings show four scenes from The Decameron by Giovanni Boccaccio. The four panels of this story are all centrally located around the theme of love, but have many different themes at work, such as degradation of women, which is certainly present within this story.

Nastagio is the man in the red pants standing near the woman, who is not only being attacked by vicious dogs, but also chased by a knight on a horse with a drawn sword. This one painting could unquestionably stand alone, but it does not. It's the the third of four panels. In the first panel Nastagio is seen taking a stroll in despair because the lady he loves rejected him and won't marry him. On his stroll he notices a naked woman being pursued by dogs and also the man on his horse.  He picks up a branch to attempt to help or possibly save the woman. In the second panel we see that the woman has fallen in the forefront, but you can see the knight cutting open her back and in the corner you can see the dogs feasting on what would be her guts, most likely her heart. Nastagio, still at the scene, is very confused as to why the knight feels the need to torture this damsel. The knight informs him that he was deeply in love with this woman, and she spitefully rejected and ignored him. Fed up with rejection, the knight used the same sword to commit suicide. Soon after the woman died, too, and as punishment for her enjoyment in his suffering and his sin of suicide they both must repeat this act periodically. Where he chases her, catches her, cuts out her heart, and feeds it to the hounds. The usual. This is shown in the background of panel two.

When Nastagio learns the reasoning behind the knight's actions he gets an idea. Nastagio decides to invite a lady who has rejected him and her family to a picnic in the forest where this very deed occurs. As you can see here in this painting the woman is once again being pursued by demented hounds followed by the knight. The audience now frozen, forks down, waits for an explanation. The knight then describes his story to the family members, and next thing you know the lady (I believe she is the one dressed in white at the head of the table) Nastagio wants is crawling into his arms assuring him that of course she'll marry him for she could not possibly be given and within such fate. The fourth panel is the wedding. 

Though the removal of the heart in panel two is intriguing and tempting, I chose this painting because although it is the third panel it sort of wraps everything up. It is also the most positive - considering Nastagio gets the lady. Sadly this also makes me think of how women have, are and always will be seen as possessions. I speak from a societal standpoint not from a literal one. I even feel as if the fact that the damsel is nude is to make her lesser than all else around her. It's as if women don't have the right to say no if a male shall pursue her. Although progress has been made from 1483 to now. In a way it hasn't. I mean obviously Mrs. Evil Damsel Lady is out of dress code, and she is singled out because of that. Why couldn't she be clothed or why couldn't some of the others have been unclothed? Perhaps like Adam and Eve her nakedness is a form of punishment. I just find this series of paintings quite interesting because Bottecelli was commissioned by Lorenzo the Magnificent to paint them as a wedding gift for his godson.


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Cestello Annunciation

Cestello Annunciation
Sandro Botticelli, Cestello Annunciation, 1489
By REID GUEMMER

Oh, the drama! I suppose I would be just as distraught if someone told me I had been impregnated as a virgin.

It's said that painting is the highest form of art, therefore it is no wonder scenes taken from the bible are such a common subject matter. This was especially popular during the Renaissance.
Known for his biblical artwork, Botticelli spent the most part of his career as a painter retelling religious events through painting. Religion was so heavily documented that in some fashion it functions as a (potentially biased) version of history. One is typically unable to understand the present without knowledge of the past, so in some context these artistically documented stories are essential to the progression of society.

Costello Annunciation is Botticelli's depiction of the angel Gabriel breaking the news to Mary, who if you haven't heard is a virgin, that she's having a baby. In my opinion, the scene looks like it belongs in a soap opera or telenovela. Don't get me wrong, the technique and paintings itself is beautiful, but the expressions worn by the two characters only provide a certain depth to what they were actually feeling. It is a painting and therefore is staged, but Mary's face lacks the elements necessary to portray raw emotion.

I have always like Botticelli, but was typically only drawn to his more whimsical paintings. The exception though was Cestello Annunciation. What made me fall in love was the perspective. Despite the two characters clearly being the subject matter, Botticelli manages to draw the audience to all aspects of the painting by using a technique called "Brunelleschi's perspective." From the drapery of Gabriel's robe to the lush fields and castles, his attention to detail and the composition make this painting. Through the window you can see the kingdom's outskirts, reminding us that although religion may play a large part in the world, it isn't everything. The world is great because humans are, not only because God is.

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The Mystic Nativity

Libby Rohr
Mystic Nativity, Sandro Botticelli, 1500
By LIBBY ROHR

Sandro Botticelli has been a favorite of mine since I first laid eyes on his work as a young child, gazing up at the beautiful copy of Primavera on my best friend's wall. His figures are as distinctive as Fragonard's trees in their soft glowing skin and gracefully clothed bodies. In The Mystic Nativity, we see new emphasis on nature similar to that of Primavera, but with a stronger message. The robes of several of the angels seem to flow into the elements of the earth around them through the use of the deep green color. The inclusion of the forest background, greenery in the hands of angels, and the natural landscape of the foreground shows the placement of heavenly value on the natural world. To include so much nature in in such an auspicious scene with such godly figures extends an auspicious and godly status to these earthly aspects in a way that has not existed in art before this time. Recently, we read a passage in class from Pico Della Mirandola's Oration on the Dignity of Man which says that human beings were put on Earth "to ponder the plan of so great a work, to love its beauty, and to wonder at its vastness." As art progresses, Botticelli lives out this purpose in the exploration of a holy natural earth in his work as well as the emphasis of the interaction between man and the angels. 

Botticelli's use of color in the verdant greens and rosy pinks gives this painting its graceful nature. Mary and Jesus are framed by their shelter first and then again on all sides in the figures of the angels and onlookers. In a ring at the top of the painting, angels rejoice in the heavenly realms, serving as a portal to the unthinkable, to God. In composition, this painting can be split in thirds horizontally, the bottom representing life on Earth, the top representing the existence of heaven, and Jesus in the middle as the bridge between God and man. In the lower third of the painting, we see images of angels embracing humans as further demonstration of this bond. In the realm of Jesus under God, all are equal and at peace. Olive branches appear in the hands of every angel in the painting. The sharp, twisting road to Jesus shows the difficulty and the specificity of following Jesus's "way." However, as the Bible promises to good Christians, Christ himself is waiting at the end.

In the bottom third of the composition. If you look closely, you'll notice four grotesque figures of the devil. My personal favorite happens to be the blue one in the bottom right, with curly horns like a ram and a disgusting warthog face. Each one of these satanic figures is crawling back beneath the earth to hell. In the presence of Jesus, they can no longer exist on the earthly plane. Botticelli tells us that through Jesus's education for the world, he rids us of sin. There is no idea more en vogue for the Renaissance than this idea of humans as chosen beings and transcendence through education and study. Mirandola claimed human beings to be, as pictured in this painting "the intermediar[ies] between creatures, the intimate of the gods, [and] the king of the lower beings." Our free will is what makes us human. We have choice to either "degenerate into lower forms of life" or "to be reborn into higher forms." Whether or not you happen to believe in God, the idea of free will, choice, and following a path of love or hate is the thread that binds every human being together. At first glance, this may resemble a simple nativity scene, however this message to humanity is what makes it "Mystic." Although this is a deeply religious work, any person could walk up to this painting and feel the message of optimistic life through peace and the utopian world so many of us strive for.
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Adoration of the Magi

Adoration of the Magi

Sandro Botticelli, Adoration of the Magi, 1476

By HARPER TRUOG

In The Prince, Niccolo Machiavelli talks about religion as a necessary tool to maintain order among the masses. Machiavelli says that princes should, in the eyes of his subjects, be saint-like. A prince must appear merciful, but is not physically able to be holy. A strong leader has the mindset of doing everything necessary to keep himself in power and his subjects under control; the ends justify the means. Religion is an excellent way of uniting a group of people and support from a church only strengthens that unity.

Sandro Botticelli painted the nativity scene with several members of the Medici family, a wealthy family in Florence. Cosimo de' Medici, the head of the family, is the man kneeling before Mary and touching baby Jesus' feet. Cosimo de' Medici is not a religious figure and was inserted into the painting to display his power. By posing him close to Mary and touching Jesus, people would have assumed that he had some sort of divine power or right. Many people in powerful positions use religion to justify their rule and to unite their subjects.

Machiavelli also discusses if it is better for a prince to be feared or loved. He says that one should strive for both, but if a choice must be made, then fear trumps love. Fear is more consistent than love in people's reactions to a price. The painting by Botticelli is a subtle reflection of that fear. If Cosimo de' Medici is so important that he is on the same level as Mary and Jesus, then what will the retribution be if someone insults them? He is supported by divine figures that represent holiness and whoever crosses him will suffer consequences.

By painting members of the Medici family into a religious setting, Botticelli has elevated their status.

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Primavera

Nayoung Kwon
Sandro Botticelli, Primavera, 1482

BY NAYOUNG KWON

Botticelli's Primavera celebrates the arrival of spring and it includes nine figures, all based on a mythological texta. It was commissioned by the Medici family for their wedding ceremony. Botticelli's use of color and composition orchestrates harmony and dreaminess. In the viewer's perspective the painting almost seems like a collage due to its detailed and flowing brush stokes. Botticelli sets the painting in a meadow and decorates its surroundings with various species of flowers and trees that symbolize fertility. The painting includes symbolism of love, which is represented by the orange trees and Cupid behind Venus. 

Introducing the nine mythological figures from left to right; Mercury who clears out the clouds so that spring may come; three Graces; Venus the goddess of love and beauty, Cupid the son of Venus, Flora, the goddess of flowers and blossoms; Chloris the nymph who is also known as Flora, and Zephyr, the god of wind. The painting and mythological figures represent sexual desires, marriage and childbearing.

The Renaissance was characterized by a rebirth of interest in the humanist culture a confirmation that human beings have the rights and responsibilities to shape their own lives as they please. "Our destiny is not determined by anything outside us. Rather, God has bestowed upon us a unique distinction." This quote by Giovanni Pico Mirandola also narrates the same message that the Gods have given the humans the chance to shape their own destiny. Even in Botticelli's Primavera, he displays the humanist culture.
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This Knee is a Royal Pain: The Birth of Venus

Sandro Botticelli
Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, 1485
This Knee is a Royal Pain: Disney Princesses & Art

 By SARAH XU

Greetings, loved ones. Let’s take a journey.

Disney princesses: idolized by youngsters, teenagers’ love life aspirations, adults’ worst nightmares. A never-ending nap? A girl taken hostage by a beast? A girl with hair long enough and strong enough to climb? A mermaid that becomes human? A maid who marries a prince? Where did Hans Christian Andersen, the Grimm brothers, and the other writers get these creative ideas? Let’s take a look at some possible inspirations.

What do mermaids call their friends on?
Shell phones.

The Birth of Venus is called the "first large-scale canvas created in Renaissance Florence,” measuring six feet by nine feet. Unlike other artists, Botticelli used expensive alabaster powder, which "mermade" the colors brighter and more radiant than usual. Nude paintings were not common in the Middle Ages, but this painting was an exception due to the godly subject. Also, how convenient is the length of her hair?

On her left, the blue ocean represents the divinity Venus came from while the lush, green nature on her right represents the human world. These two contrasting sides shows her transition from divinity to the mortal world. On the seashell, Venus leans more towards the right side, embracing her change to the mortal world. Furthermore, on her left is the God of Wind and on her right is the Goddess of Seasons. The path of the flowers towards the right of the painting shows Zephyrs using his powers of the wind to push Venus towards Earth.

Is this a painting of the birth of Venus, or the moment when Ariel becomes a human? It seems like the woman has red hair and she’s basically emerging from the ocean. Also, she looks a little wobbly on her feet. Who wouldn't be after magically developing legs? One side of the painting could symbolize Ariel's life under the sea and the other side could symbolize Ariel's transition to the land of the walking. Off she goes to find Prince Eric!

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