Lauren Herring

Since I knew this was the famous painting of The Birth of Venus I have a clearer understanding of what this painting represents and what I am still curious about. The clamshell may represent the womb of the women hence the title The Birth of Venus. It looks as though Venus is being lightly blown to shore by two angels. Who exactly are the angels? Since Venus is labeled as the goddess of love and beauty she seems to have an expression of confidence across her face. Is it arrogance or does the artist fails to give Venus a more understanding facial expression? Venus is welcomed to shore by another goddess whom seems anxious to clothe Venus.

What is it about Venus that makes her so beautiful? Maybe it is her long hair because she really does not have the ideal image of a beautiful woman. Her neck line seems to be out of proportions along with her waist area. Why is Venus being born from sea that seems to be sunny, representing peace, to shore that appears to look dark and gloomy? Maybe the artist had also failed to incorporate the proper lighting. Are the two angels a couple or are they Venus’ parents? Is the goddess on shore Venus’ godmother or the earthly parent? This portrait seems like it was done to represent a particular country in Europe. Venus doesn’t seem like she is using her hair to cover her private areas, but, more so she is trying to use her hair as a companion. However she may have been trying to cover particular areas but the wind had just blown some of her hair away. What is the purpose of Venus being born? Is she sent to earth for a job or was it just in her destiny? Why are there flowers in the air if Venus is being “born”/propelled to a gloomy area? Why were these certain colors chosen to create this painting? Maybe to focus the attention onto Venus, the artist had to use certain colors.

''Lauren picked an excellent piece to try Berger’s approach to studying art. This piece is well known as well as the story it depicts, but how interesting to forget all of that and to look and just ask questions. With this analysis, Lauren may have tapped into the artists own motives while painting. By asking these questions, Lauren is really asking “Why did the artist tell the story this way?”. This makes the relationship between artist and audience more personal.''