The highest virtue of Venus. Sandro Botticelli: "Spring" - the beauty of art in its sense What does spring do in the Botticelli painting of the same name

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Botticelli, Spring

Procession of Spring (painting by Botticelli)

Sandro Botticelli. "Spring"

"Unknown Botticelli"

Sandro Botticelli, The Birth of Venus, analysis of the painting

Subtitles

We're looking at one of Sandro Botticelli's greatest paintings - and one of the most enigmatic, Primavera. What does "Spring" mean? In the center we see Venus in her sacred grove She's looking right at us. The figures in the foreground parted so that Venus could freely look at us, and we at her. And maybe even could enter this space. The trees around her diverge to show us the sky, so that even a kind of halo forms around her. Indeed, such a semicircle. Actually, I read that it's almost architecture, almost like the dome of the apse, and it reminds us that we usually see in this design in the Renaissance period Virgin Mary, in the church, but here we have a natural or mythical context, and Venus. Yes. That is, this is the Renaissance. One of his definitions is the revival of ancient Greek and Roman culture, and here we see an artist who took a pagan theme, the theme of Venus, and other elements from the ancient mythology of Greece and Rome. Yes. Lots of figures from ancient Greece and Rome. Exactly. On the left we see the three graces. Let's talk a little about who it is. This subject was very popular in the sculpture of Rome, for the sculptor it was an opportunity to show the human body from three sides at once, so you create copies of the figure and rotate each of them slightly so that it can be seen from all sides. And at the left edge we see Mars, the god of war. He put down his weapon. He is calm in her garden. Who wouldn't be at peace in her garden? Just look. The garden is amazingly beautiful. We don't know exactly what Mars does. He has a stick in his hands. Maybe he repels the clouds that come from the left. Paradise is always sunny. Certainly. And on the right we see three more figures, Zephyr - the god of the winds, who ... This blue figure. Yes, that blue figure. He kidnaps Chlorida, you see, a twig with leaves comes out of her mouth, and she collides with a neighboring figure, this is the figure of Flora. Maybe it's the same character. In other words, the abduction of Chloride may be happening to Flora. What is Flora doing here? You see, she reaches for her bag full of flowers, which she drops, as if sowing herbs into the carpet under her feet. After all, this is Primavera. It is spring. Spring. Yes. There is this feeling of fertile nature. There is another figure, the son of Venus, slightly taller than her, blindfolded. This is Cupid about to shoot his arrow at one of the unsuspecting graces. And of course he doesn't know who he'll hit, but we can guess. As usual with Botticelli, we see figures elongated, weightless, standing in rather impossible poses. Something we don't usually expect in Renaissance art. This, in fact, contradicts many traditions that we know about in relation to the 15th century. This painting does not concentrate on linear perspective. There is a bit of aerial perspective, you can see it in some elements of the landscape, between the trees, but with this exception it is a very frontal picture. It's practically a frieze, and it shows what we think is literally a set of ideas. Art historians do not really know what conclusions to draw from this picture. We were looking for texts to which she can refer. In any case, it really does not matter to the thousands of people who come to admire her, and for me, because she is incredibly beautiful. And maybe, precisely because it does not have a clear meaning, it is easier for us in the 21st century to appreciate it. There are many elements here that I think are simply beautiful. Look, for example, at the lush folds of the fabric in which the graces are dressed. Or these brushes. They are beautiful. I am especially fascinated by the way the hands of the Graces unite in three places creating a wonderful complex picture, it's very beautiful, it's a feast for the eyes, playful and reflecting a kind of sophisticated idea of ​​beauty. One possible way of interpreting this painting is as a kind of Neo-Platonic treatise, a kind of reflection on the different possible kinds of beauty. Venus herself is amazingly beautiful. She tilted her head slightly to one side, she holds hand cloth, makes a gesture with the other hand and looks directly at us. And it is very difficult to resist and not want to join her in her garden. Subtitles by the Amara.org community

History of the painting

As it turned out in 1975 from the discovered inventory of 1498, the painting was in the sleeping quarters of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco Medici, who, after the death of his father, was taken under his protection by his uncle Lorenzo the Magnificent. The painting hung over a sofa called letuccio. In the same room were two more paintings: Pallas and Centaur (1482-1483) by Botticelli and Madonna and Child by an unknown author. Given the fact that on July 19, 1482, the uncle married the 17-year-old Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco for political reasons to Semiramide, a representative of the noble Appiani family, researchers believe that the painting was commissioned by Lorenzo the Magnificent Botticelli as a wedding gift to his nephew. Such gifts were common at that time. In this case, Botticelli knew where the picture would hang, and that it would be located at a height of two meters from the floor.

Sources

The first source for Botticelli was a fragment from Lucretius's poem " On the nature of things»:

Here comes Spring, and Venus is coming, and Venus is winged

The messenger is coming ahead, and, Zephyr after, before them

Flora-mother walks and, scattering flowers on the way,

It fills everything with colors and a sweet smell ...

Winds, goddess, run before you; with your approach

The clouds are leaving from heaven, the earth is a masterful lush

A flower carpet is being laid, sea waves are smiling,

And the azure sky shines with spilled light.

From it appeared in the picture: Venus, Flora, ("Venus's winged messenger") and Zephyr.

Botticelli took the following four characters according to an excerpt from Ovid's poem Fasty (Book 5. May 3. Floralia):

195 "My name is Flora, but I was Chlorida...

One spring, Zephyr caught my eye; I left

He flew after me: he was stronger than me ...

205 Nevertheless, Zephyr justified violence, making me his wife,

And I never complain about my marriage union.

Eternal I bask in the spring, spring is best time:

All the trees are green, the earth is green.

A fertile garden blooms in the fields, to me as a dowry of data ...

My husband adorned my garden with a beautiful flower dress,

So saying to me: “Forever be the goddess of flowers!”

But to count all the colors on flowers scattered everywhere,

I never could: there is no number to their number ...

They follow Harita, weaving wreaths and garlands,

220 To twist your curls and braids into heavenly ones.

Description

The painting depicts a clearing in an orange garden ("A fertile garden blooms in the fields"). All of it is dotted with flowers (“Luxury land-artificer lays a flower carpet”). Botanists have counted more than 500 flowers ("there is no number of them"), belonging to more than 170 species. Moreover, they are reproduced with photographic accuracy, such as the German iris in the lower right corner. Despite the name "Spring", among them there are many that bloom in summer, and even in winter ("I bask in the eternal spring").

Looking at the characters in the picture from right to left, a 3-1-3-1 rhythm is found. Three characters of the first group: the god of the west wind Zephyr, next to whom the trees bend without fruit; Zephyr pursues Chlorida, depicted at the moment of transformation into Flora - flowers are already flying out of her mouth; and the goddess of flowers Flora herself, scattering roses with a generous hand (“scattering flowers on the path, Fills everything with colors and a sweet smell”). To emphasize the metamorphosis of the nymph, Botticelli showed that the clothes of Chloris and Flora flutter in different sides.

The next, central group is formed in solitude by Venus, the goddess of gardens and love. The artist emphasizes its dominance not only by its central location, but also by two halos of myrtle leaves (an attribute of Venus) and gaps between the myrtle bush and orange trees. The gaps form an arch, reminiscent of numerous images of the Madonna, including Botticelli himself. Gesture right hand Venus is directed towards the left side of the picture. Above Venus is a putto (or Cupid) with a blindfold, directing an arrow into the middle Harita.

To the left of Venus is a group of three Harit, who dance, holding hands. According to Hesiod, these are Aglaya ("Shining"), Euphrosyne ("Good-thinking") and Thalia ("Blossoming"). The middle Charita (possibly Euphrosyne) looks at Mercury. The poses of Charit are reminiscent of the poses of the daughters of Jethro from Botticelli's fresco "Scenes from the Life of Moses" in the Sistine Chapel.

last group forms Mercury with its attributes: helmet, winged sandals and caduceus. Botticelli made him a garden guard, supplying him with a sword. Mercury, with the help of the caduceus, achieves that "The clouds are leaving the sky."

All characters almost do not touch the ground, they seem to hover above it. The effect was enhanced by the high position of the painting.

Interpretations

Exists great amount versions regarding the interpretation of the picture. They can be conditionally divided into philosophical, mythological, religious, historical and exotic.

Philosophical versions are associated with Neoplatonism. Supporters proceed from the fact that the sources for Botticelli were not just Lucretius and Ovid, but the philosophy of Ficino and the poetry of Poliziano, whom Botticelli met at the Platonic Academy. In addition, Ficino was the mentor of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco, a letter from Ficino to the pupil from 1481 has been preserved, where he recommends that the young man consider Venus as an allegory of Humanity (Humanitas). In this case, the picture is an allegory, as under the leadership of Venus, the ruler of both earthly and heavenly love, in accordance with her gesture, human activity rises from the senses (Zephyr-Chloride-Flora) through the mind (three Graces) to contemplation (Mercury). The version is supported by the fact that the movement of Zephyr in the picture is directed downward, and the movement of Mercury is upward.

Various mythological versions interpret the depicted garden in the picture as the garden of the Hesperides, they consider Apuleius as a source, and then instead of Venus they talk about Isis, instead of Mercury they talk about Mars, etc.

Religious versions proceed from the fact that in fact we are talking about the Madonna, and the garden is Hortus conclusus. According to one version, the right side of the picture in this case is regarded as an allegory of carnal love, the left - as an allegory of love for one's neighbor, but the highest love in the center is love for God. Another version considers the image in the painting as three stages of a journey through earthly Paradise: entry into the World, journey through the Garden and exodus to Heaven.

Historical versions are based on the assumption that Botticelli depicted his contemporaries in the picture. The simplest option - the picture is a pre-wedding instruction to the bride, Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco is depicted in Mercury, and Semiramida Appiani is depicted as the middle Charita looking at him. Others believe that Mercury is Lorenzo the Magnificent himself, and among other characters they find his mistresses. Still others consider the painting as an allegory for the rise of Florence under the leadership of Lorenzo the Magnificent after the elimination of the consequences of the Pazzi conspiracy. It is alleged that the trees in the garden are mala medica, the necklaces on the Charites are Medici flowers, elements of the Medici coat of arms are found in the picture, etc.

There are also exotic versions that ignore literary and historical sources. Their supporters believe that a certain message is encrypted in the picture. For example, eight characters in the picture are considered as notes: Zephyr corresponds to "do", Chloride - "re", and so on, and Mercury - again "do", but an octave higher. Another version is built on the correspondence Flora - Florence, in this case each character is italian city. There are supporters of alchemy, astronomy, etc.

History of the painting

The painting was in the house of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco Medici, as evidenced by the inventory carried out in 1498, 1503, 1516. In 1537 she was moved to Castello. In 1550, she was seen there along with The Birth of Venus by Vasari, he wrote that in Castello there are “two paintings with figures: one of them is Venus being born with breezes and winds helping her to enter the earth along with cupids, the other Venus showered with flowers of Grace, heralding the arrival of Spring: both of them are made with grace and expressiveness. The painting was in the possession of the Medici until the extinction of the family in 1743.

In 1815, she fell into the storerooms of the Uffizi, she was not highly appreciated, and in 1853 she was sent to the Academy for study by young artists. She returned to the Uffizi in 1919, thus, for about 400 years, few people saw her, and only at the beginning of the 20th century did fame and glory come to her. In 1982, the painting was restored. Now it is one of the main masterpieces of the Uffizi.

Gallery

"Spring" was at the Medici villa Castello. In 1477 the Castello estate was acquired by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco de' Medici, second cousin of the famous Lorenzo the Magnificent. That is why it has long been believed that Primavera (Spring) was written by Botticelli for the fourteen-year-old Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco, at the time of the purchase of the villa. But an inventory from 1499, found only in 1975, listing the property of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco and his brother Giovanni, states that in the 15th century Primavera was exhibited in the city palace of Florence. The painting adorned the entrance hall of Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco's room there.

Sandro Botticelli. Spring. OK. 1482

Paintings so large sizes were not new to the mansions of dignitaries. Botticelli's "Spring", however, is specific in that it is one of the first surviving paintings of the post-antique period, in which the ancient gods are depicted almost naked and life-size. Some of them are copied from ancient sculptures, but not as direct copies, but transformed according to the special artistic canons of Botticelli himself. Slim bodies the figures of "Spring" look slightly elongated, and the domed bellies of women correspond to the then ideal of beauty.

In the center of the "Spring", a little behind the other figures is the goddess, the mistress of the garden of love. Above her, Cupid aims one of his arrows of love at the three graces, the friends of Venus, elegantly dancing rondos. The Garden of Venus is guarded by Mercury on the left. His light fiery red cloak, helmet on his head, and sword at his side emphasize his role as guardian of the garden. The messenger of the gods Mercury can also be recognized by the winged sandals and caduceus staff, with which he drives away two snakes from each other in order to reconcile them. Serpent Botticelli depicted in the form of winged dragons. On the right, the god of the wind Zephyr rushes violently after the nymph Chloris. Next to her, the goddess of spring walks, scattering flowers on the go.

Botticelli. Spring. Mercury and the Graces

There are various interpretations of this scene. But, whichever of them is true, there is a deeply humanistic nature of painting, reflecting the then cultural trends.

One of the sources of the scene depicted by Botticelli's "Spring" is Ovid's Fasti - poetic descriptions of the ancient Roman holiday calendar. In the verses that Ovid refers to the month of May, the goddess Flora says that she was once the nymph Chloris, and, as now, she inhaled the smell of flowers. Zephyr, the god of the wind, excited to the rampage by the beauty of Chloris, began to pursue her and forcibly made her his wife. Then repenting of his violence, he turned the nymph Chloris into the goddess Flora and gave her a beautiful garden where eternal spring reigns.

I am called Flora, and I was Chlorida ...
One spring, Zephyr caught my eye; I left
He flew after me: he was stronger than me ...
Nevertheless, Zephyr justified violence, making me his wife,
And I never complain about my marriage union.
Eternal I bask in the spring, spring is the best time:
All the trees are green, the earth is green.
A fertile garden blooms in the fields, to me as a dowry of data ...
My husband adorned my garden with a beautiful flower dress,
So saying to me: “Forever be the goddess of flowers!”

"Spring" by Botticelli depicts two different moments of Ovid's story at the same time: Zephyr's love desire for Chloris and her subsequent transformation into Flora. That is why the clothes of these two women, who do not seem to notice each other, are fluttering in different directions. Flora stands next to Venus and scatters roses, the flowers of the goddess of love.

Botticelli. Spring. Chloride and Flora

The ancient Roman classic Lucretius in his philosophical and didactic poem "On the Nature of Things" glorifies both of these goddesses in one scene of Spring. In the passage of Lucretius, other characters of Botticelli's "Spring" are also mentioned. He was probably another main literary source paintings:

Here comes Spring, and Venus is coming, and Venus is winged
The messenger is coming ahead, and, Zephyr after, before them
Flora-mother walks and, scattering flowers on the way,
It fills everything with colors and a sweet smell ...

The divine spring garden with hundreds of plant species blooming in April and May belongs to Venus, the goddess of love. Behind Venus, Botticelli depicted a myrtle, one of her symbols. Venus raised her hand in greeting to those who admire her spring kingdom. Above the head of Venus, Botticelli placed her son, Cupid, who, blindfolded, shoots arrows of love.

Botticelli. Spring. Venus

Botticelli. Spring. Chloride and Zephyr

Botticelli. Spring. Flora

"Spring" by Sandro Botticelli(1478, Uffizi Gallery, Florence) - one of the most famous works Italian Renaissance. The painting was commissioned by Duke Lorenzo Medici on the occasion of the wedding (according to another version, the birthday) of his nephew. All the heroes depicted on it are mythological characters. In the center is the goddess Venus, to the left of her are the three Graces (Beauty, Chastity and Pleasure) and their leader Mercury. On the right - the god of the warm, spring wind Zephyr, overtaking the nymph Chloris, and the goddess of flowers Flora. What relationship are they in? What connects them? And why did Botticelli need all these heroes to talk about spring - a symbol of new life, love?

"This is the dialectic of love embodied in movement"

Marina Khaikina, art critic:“The picture was created according to the laws not of dramaturgy, but of musical-rhythmic. And therefore it is very difficult to tell what is happening here, to build a plot. But let's try. On the right side of the picture, we see two events at the same time: the abduction of the nymph Chloris by Zephyr and her subsequent transformation into the goddess Flora, which symbolizes spring. However, the central position in the picture is not Flora, but another heroine - Venus. She is not just the goddess of love and beauty. The Neoplatonists, with whose ideas Botticelli was well acquainted, endowed Venus with the highest virtues - intelligence, nobility, mercy, and identified with Humanity, which was synonymous with culture and education. The movement of Venus is hardly noticeable, but it is directed from earthly love, personified by Flora, to heavenly love, which, apparently, is symbolized by Mercury. His posture, gesture indicate that he is a guide to the Mind that reigns in the heavenly spheres. His hand next to the fruit hanging on the tree is a motif traditionally associated with the Tree of Knowledge. It is very likely that Botticelli illustrated here the Neoplatonic dialectic of love - the path from earthly love to divine love. Love, in which there is not only joy and fullness of life, but also the sadness of knowledge and the seal of suffering - we cannot but see it on the face of Venus. In the picture of Botticelli, this dialectic of love is embodied in the musical, magical rhythm of movement, dance, sometimes fading, sometimes accelerating, but infinitely beautiful.

"A hymn to living human attraction"

Andrey Rossokhin, psychoanalyst:“There are only two men in the picture, their images are fundamentally different. Zephyr (he is on the right) is a dark and terrible, demonic tempter. Mercury (left) is narcissistically handsome. But it is Zephyr, alive and moving, who touches the woman and looks at her (none of the characters in the picture have direct eye contact anymore). But Mercury has turned away from everyone and contemplates the sky. According to the myth, at this moment he disperses the clouds. He seems to want to get rid of what drives the clouds - from the wind. But the Wind is just the Zephyr that seduces Chloris. Mercury is trying to free space from the movement of wind and life, from the sexual attraction of a man to a woman.

There are three Graces next to him, but there is no physical connection between him and the girls: the grace of Pleasure stands with her back to Mercury. The gaze of Chastity is turned to Mercury, but there is no contact between them either. In a word, in this whole group there is no hint of the awakening of Spring, sexuality. But it is this group that Venus blesses. She is here - not the goddess of love, but the Christian symbol of the Mother, the Madonna. There is nothing feminine and sexual in her, she is the Goddess of spiritual love and therefore is favorable to the left group, devoid of sensuality.

And here is what we see on the right: Zephyr takes Chloris by force, and the nymph girl turns into a woman, Flora. And what happens then? Flora no longer looks at Zephyr (unlike Chloride), she is not interested in a man, she is interested in flowers and children. Chlorida was a mortal girl, and the goddess Flora gained divine immortality. It turns out that the idea of ​​the picture is this: you can be immortal and omnipotent only by renouncing sexuality.

On a rational level, the symbolism of the picture encourages us to feel the greatness and divinity of motherhood, the narcissistic confidence of Mercury, the self-sufficiency of our inner Graces. Botticelli calls to curb his "wild" desires, attractions that are associated with Zephyr, to abandon them and thus gain immortality. However, unconsciously he writes the opposite, and this is evidenced by the very atmosphere of the picture. We live together with Zephyr and Chloride their passionate love affair, literally feeling with your skin that only such sexual attraction able to open the vicious circle of the Graces and release pleasure from the narcissistic trap. To be alive, mortal, feeling, experiencing different experiences (fear and pleasure), even at the cost of renouncing Divine immortality - in my opinion, this is the main hidden meaning message from Botticelli. A hymn not to the Divine, rational, symbolic and chaste, but to a living human attraction that conquers narcissism and the fear of one's own mortality.

Italian art of the 15th century. Renaissance.
A world masterpiece, the painting "Spring" was created by the artist Sandro Botticelli in the late 70s of the 15th century. The size of the painting is 203 x 314 cm, wood, tempera. This work was painted by Botticelli for the Villa Castello near Florence, owned by Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco Medici. The year of its execution is usually considered to be 1478 - the work was completed shortly after the villa was purchased for the fifteen-year-old Lorenzo. This relative of the Magnificent then received a thorough education, and the head of the Platonic Academy, Ficino, also took a friendly part in his upbringing. The painting, intended for the private quarters of the future Renaissance connoisseur, was intended to delight the eye and at the same time influence the soul of its contemplator.

Botticelli in the picture depicted Zephyr chasing the nymph Chloris, Flora arises from their union; then we see Venus, the dance of the Graces, and, finally, Mercury, who, looking up, removes with the caduceus the veil of clouds that impedes contemplation. What is the content of the picture? Researchers have offered several interpretations. The theme of the composition is spring with accompanying ancient deities. The center of construction is Venus - not the embodiment of base passion, but the noble goddess of flowering and all goodwill on earth; this is a neoplatonic image.

deploying given context, scientists argued that the work of the Florentine artist reflects the idea of ​​the generation of beauty by the light of divine love and the contemplation of this beauty, leading from the earthly to the superearthly. "Spring" was also associated with the moralizing horoscope compiled by Ficino for Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco: he was recommended to choose as a guide in self-improvement the planet Venus-Humanitas (humanity), endowed with all moral virtues and showing the way to higher spheres. Note that all these facets of content do not negate, but rather complement each other. But let's not exaggerate the significance of the meaningful canvas, because the artist painted the picture, transforming everything with his animated fantasy.

Venus, central figure compositions, stands under the canopy of trees in this enchanted space of the spring forest. Her dress of the finest fabric with golden threads of jewelry and a luxurious scarlet cloak, symbolizing love, indicate that we have before us the goddess of love and beauty. But in her fragile appearance, other features also appear. The bowed head is covered with a gas blanket, in which Sandro Botticelli liked to dress his Madonnas. The face of Venus with raised eyebrows inquiringly expresses sadness and modesty, the meaning of her gesture is unclear - is it a greeting, timid protection or gracious acceptance? The character resembles the Virgin Mary in the plot of the Annunciation (for example, in the painting by Alesso Baldovinetti). Pagan and Christian are intertwined into a spiritualized image. In other figures of the composition, associations with religious motives are also caught. So, the images of Zephyr and the nymph Chloris echo the medieval image of the devil, who does not let the soul into Paradise.

The graces, companions and servants of Venus, are the virtues generated by Beauty, their names are Chastity, Love, Pleasure. Botticelli's image of the beautiful triad is the very embodiment of dance. Slim figures with elongated, gently curving forms intertwined in a rhythmic sequence of circular motion. The artist is extremely inventive in the interpretation of hairstyles, conveying hair both as a natural element and as decorative material. The hair of the Graces is collected in strands, now finely curly, now falling in a wave, now scattering over the shoulders, like golden jets. Light bends and turns of figures, dialogue of glances, graceful joining of hands and setting of feet - all this conveys the progressive rhythm of the dance.

The relations of its participants reflect the classical formula and at the same time the neoplatonic understanding of Eros: Love leads Chastity to Pleasure and fastens their hands. In the image of Botticelli, the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bmythological splendor comes to life, but his images are painted with genuine purity. It is no coincidence that the dance of the Graces is compared with the round dance of angels in Paradise in the composition " Last Judgment» Fra Angelico. The gaze of Mercury is dreamily directed to the sky. He is trying to break the density of clouds that interfere with vision. Botticelli gives Mercury the type of thin youthful figure characteristic of the taste of Florence of those years, as in Verrocchio's David, but its outlines acquire melody, and the face becomes spiritual.

History of a masterpiece

"Spring" by Sandro Botticelli

Here is Spring, and Venus is coming, and Venus is winged
The messenger is coming ahead, and, Zephyr after, before them
Flora-mother walks and, scattering flowers on the way,
It fills everything with colors and a sweet smell ...
Winds, goddess, run before you; with your approach
The clouds are leaving from heaven, the earth is a masterful lush
A flower carpet is being laid, sea waves are smiling,
And the azure sky shines with spilled light.

In Florence, in the Uffizi Gallery, among the numerousmasterpieces painting Italian Renaissance one of the most famous paintings in the world is kept - "Spring" by Sandro Botticelli. Hundreds of articles, many thousands of pages, have been written about this remarkable work, created 500 years ago, in 1478. About her and our today's conversation.

images paintings are inspiredantique poetry and have mythological overtones. However, this is not only a poetic allegory. Botticelli put a complex philosophical meaning into his work. In order to reveal the main idea of ​​\u200b\u200bViasna, let's turn to its content andcompositional construction.

The movement in the picture is directed from right to left. A bluish-green figure in a billowing cloak intrudes from the upper right corner. By swollen cheeks and wings, we know - this is the wind. Tree trunks bent from its flight. Tenaciously he grabbed the nymph running to the left. She turned her frightened face towards him, and touched the third figure with her hands, as if asking for protection. But she, as if not noticing, marches to the lower edge of the picture, looking at the viewer, and with the gesture of a sower taking a new handful of seeds, she lowers her right hand into the folds of her dress overflowing with roses. This girl with a thin face of a teenager, with a wreath on her golden hair, in a long dress embroidered with flowers, was often called Spring. In fact, this is the goddess of flowers and plants Flora.

The artist needed three figures to tell the myth about how the spring wind Zephyr, with his love, turned a nymph named Chloris (which means “green” or “greenery”) into a goddess of flowering. About how nature blooms in spring. And how poetically the transformation is shown! Together with the breath, flowers fly from the open lips of the nymph, they fall from under her arm, cover her hem with a small pattern. It seems as if the flowers growing in the meadow are shining through the fabric. The third figure from the right is the already transformed Chloris in her new form. She became a goddess in magnificent attire. And how wonderfully the embroidered patterns of her dress (for example, on her collar) come to life and become real flowers, reminding the audience what real things this story is about. beautiful fairy tale... Three right figuressymbolize the first month of spring, for the first breath of Zephyr was considered its beginning.

Fourth from the right, slightly in depth, is placed in the picture Venus. She is shown to be simple, quiet and modest. This is not at all a brilliant beautytsa goddess, accustomed to command. We would not have guessed that this is Venus if Cupid with a bow and a fiery arrow did not soar above her head (Cupid is the son of Venus). And if the trees that fill the background of the picture did not part around it with a semicircular gap, showing that here is the semantic center of the picture. Tilting her head to one side, she looks in our direction thoughtfully, a little searchingly. With the movement of the right hand, as if stopped in the air, Venus blesses the group of Graces. The gesture is caring, patronizing. It holds our attention, making it better to feel a clearrhythmic pause in the center of the picture, and then sends our gaze to the left.

Venus and her companions Graces symbolize the second month of spring - April. The ancient Roman poet Ovid wrote in the poem "Fasta", and the poets of the 15th century repeated after him that April is named after Aphrodite, this Greek name Venus.

Finally, the lastcharacter paintings - Mercury (extreme figure on the left). A worthy companion of the Graces, since he is the deity of reason and eloquence, the inventor of the arts. But the most important thing is that in the ancient Roman calendar, the spring month of May was dedicated to Mercury. It is named after the mother of Mercury - Maya. This month was considered the end of spring and the beginning of summer. Maybe that's why Mercury, which serves as a symbol of May in the picture, has its back turned to other spring deities.

The world depicted in the painting by Botticelli is unusual and mysterious. Fairy trees are already covered with ripe fruits, and the meadow is still full of spring flowers. Each figure of "Spring" has its ownhorizon . We look at them a little from above, a little from below. It may seem that some of them are standing on a hillside, but at another moment the meadow under their feet seems level. Meanwhile, a gap among the trees, a wave-like strip passing through the whole picture, on the right side of it shows the sky where we would expect to see a continuation of the surface of the meadow. It seems that Botticelli deliberately abandons the achievements of the Renaissanceperspectives to create an atmosphere of excitement and pathos.

The compositional rhythm of "Spring" is frequent, constricted. The artist arranged a number of figures in waves, either moving them closely, then increasing the interval, surrounding them with a dark background of greenery and creating another second, fractional rhythm.colors And ornaments . In the lines of contours and folds, up toloosely steep diagonals rising to the left, and almost no horizontals.

In most figures, the gaze and gestures are disconnected, as if they are shown at a moment when the previous movement is still continuing by inertia, and attention is switched to new item. So, for example, the average Grace is still moving in the round dance of her friends, but she is already forgetting about him, immersed in the contemplation of Mercury. It seems that the movements and gestures in the picture are forgotten at the same moment by those who perform them, or by those to whom they are addressed. Moments likelines, switchthey repent among themselves, but do not connect, but separate. Hence the mood of deep contemplation, thanks to which a theme enters the picture more important than its basis.allegory , - the theme of spiritual life.

Girlish friendship, the birth of love, the dreamy cultivation of life (the theme of the image of Flora), tender guardianship (the meaning of the gesture of Venus), the slow ascent of thoughts to transcendental heights (the theme of Mercury) - all this is shown by the artist with penetrating clarity and purity. Gesture of Venus away from Zephyr to the Graces and Merscuria and the modesty of her clothes can be understood as a preference given to the spiritual in man.

Botticelli's "Spring" was written for a young man from the most influential Medici family in Florence. Some art historians believe that the picture was supposed to strengthen the teenager's attachment to the moral ideals that his educators instilled in him. Venus in Botticelli's "Spring" most likely symbolizes not just love and beauty, but "humanitas" - a worthy belonging to humanity, humanity. Here it is useful to recall that the word "grace" refers to Italian not only to beauty, but also to kindness, mercy.

Botticelli's painting is closely connected with the culture of Italy in the 15th century. The movements of her characters are reminiscent of some of the dances of that time. By topic, selection actors it echoed the costume processions that took place in Florence every spring, and was therefore generally understood in that era.

In conclusion, I would like to say a little about such aspects of the content of "Spring", which were clear only to the most educated contemporaries of the artist. Botticelli twice showed Flora-Chloris in the painting. But this is not the only repetition in the picture. In the 15th century, three different manifestations of a single deity, Venus, were seen in the Graces; believed that the Graces are herself! Scholars argue a lot about names and differences.chiyah Graces at Botticelli; It turns out that in the 15th century the Italians often called one of the Graces "Verdura" (greenery, youth). Doesn't it sound like a translation of the name Chloris? Some poets directly identified Venus with Flora. As for Mercury, he, among other things, was considered the god of the wind and in this capacity was called ... Zephyr! So, in a composition of eight figures, only two generalized poetic symbol: one personifying the wind, spirit, mind, the other - love, nature, flowering.

One and the same spirit flies to the earth, becomes a force of love, attracting to the comprehension and creation of the blossoming beauty of the world, and it also turns to heaven (pay attention to the movement of Mercury, dispersing the clouds with a wand and looking for a magical fruit among them). The circle closes in order to repeat itself from the beginning. Reason appears in the painting "Spring" in alliance with love, attraction - the beginning and main source of knowledge according to the teachings of the Florentine philosophers, Botticelli's contemporaries...

A. BARANOV