The Birth of Venus has always been one of my favourite pieces of art, I have always had a fascination with ancient mythology and my younger self just loved the idea of this goddess born in the sea, in a shell and being brought to land in her shell to be the absolute vision of beauty and love. What interested me more was all the different variations I’ve seen of this piece over the years, some shown here. I feel like this is a much more beautiful way to be born, without all the blood and pain. But then I remember that a Pearl is made when an irritant (parasite or dirt) is lodged inside the shell and the shell secretes a fluid to cover the irritant to stop the irritant hurting the shell and the being inside from further damage and even death. Layer upon layer of this protective secretion forms a beautiful and expensive Pearl that is one of nature’s most beautiful creations.
“Known as the “Birth of Venus”, the composition actually shows the goddess of love and beauty arriving on land, on the island of Cyprus, born of the sea spray and blown there by the winds, Zephyr and, perhaps, Aura. The goddess is standing on a giant scallop shell, as pure and as perfect as a pearl. She is met by a young woman, who is sometimes identified as one of the Graces or as the Hora of spring, and who holds out a cloak covered in flowers. Even the roses, blown in by the wind are a reminder of spring. The subject of the painting, which celebrates Venus as symbol of love and beauty, was perhaps suggested by the poet Agnolo Poliziano. Botticelli takes his inspiration from classical statues for Venus’ modest pose, as she covers her nakedness with long, blond hair, which has reflections of light from the fact that it has been gilded; even the Winds, the pair flying in one another’s embrace, is based on an ancient work, a gem from the Hellenistic period, owned by Lorenzo the Magnificent.” - Uffizi Gallery
“The birth of a Parasite”
A response to ‘The Birth of Venus’, this piece has taken a lot out of me. Whilst I am exploring ideas around femininity, organic materials and discarded body this piece is extremely intimate and personal. Something I don’t like to make at all. But due to the current pandemic and not being able to access a studio or a workshop to create work it has made me have to take on new roles in my work.
I have talked before on the birth of a Pearl, how it starts as an irritant working it’s way into a shell and then latching on and growing, almost attacking the shell. The shell defends itself by secreting liquids that encompass the irritant and layer by layer they add up to a beautiful shiny Pearl. It seems quite ironic that a Pearl is something so precious that is often directed at the feminine. It made me think of the birth of a body, latching on in the mother’s womb, until it is pushed out as a beautiful and priceless baby. Both take their toll on the vessel which birthed it. Whilst both of these object (the body and the Pearl) defy their average borders and the typical norm in size, they cross over into the realms of beauty and questioning what it is to be feminine. When showing this piece to someone they said it suggested fragility, softness, vulnerability. All of these are psychological traits attached to the colour pink in colour theory. Perhaps these notions are not tied to the female body but to the gender rules we have placed within object and colour.
This crossover of birthing that we see in the painting by Botticelli has always been fascinating to me. I felt that the recreation of the painting had been done so much before but I didn’t want to let the inspiration fall away and so this is my response. Not a recreation but perhaps a part 2 in modern day. The body that cradles the Pearl. The feminine beauties that go beyond normal standards. The Birth of a Parasite
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