Venus in Art

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that, throughout history, Venus as a representation of love and beauty has been captured in various media, including the visual arts of paintings and sculpture, music, and drama. The author points out that understanding the roles in history and Greek mythology of Venus, an ancient Italian goddess closely associated with fields and gardens and later identified by the Romans, and Aphrodite, the Greek goddess of love, is important for understanding how artists have been able to use her as a representation of love and beauty. The paper relates that artistic representations of Venus have long been associated with female sexuality as embodied in the ?Venus Pudica?, a statue in which Venus stands erect with her face slightly turned away, one hand over her breasts and the other shielding her groin, displaying both modesty and an alluring nature.

Table of Contents
Introduction to Venus and Aphrodite
Venus and her Roles in Classical and Renaissance Art
Venus and Sexuality
Venus, Madonna, Mary Magdalene and the Female Role in Society
Venus in Contemporary Culture

From the Paper:

"During the 18th century, the French painter Francois Boucher also captured the charms of Aphrodite, often depicted her in his most notable work "The Triumph of Venus." Boucher's style was considered to be in the Rococo genre. Rococo by nature is light, playful, and can sometimes be a bit frivolous but proved to be a suitable style for depicting the goddess of love and beauty. This painting indeed conveys to the viewer feelings of delight and joy. Another artist who produced works that depicted the birth of Aphrodite was the French painter J A.D. Ingres. Ingres' work is considered more classical in form that Boucher's version and is part of the artistic movement known as Neoclassicism. In addition, Ingres' work draws inspiration from the past as he depicted her as she emerges from the sea."

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