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This exclusive exhibition is dedicated to the world most famous works showing the favoured subject of mythological narrative . Throughout this exhibit you will see works by some of the worlds most famous artist such as Botticelli and Canova and be taken on a mythological journey though art history.
The exhibition features a audio tour which narrates the exhibit , painting by painting . This can be purchased from the tickets & info desk for only ÂŁ5
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Room One PAINTING ONE—The Birth Of Venus
Painting two- primavera
Room Two Painting three-Venus and mars
Painting four - The Rape of the Daughters
of Leucippus
Sculpture - Theseus and the minotaur
Room Three Painting five -Bacchus and Ariadne
SCULPTURE -THE THREE GRACES
SCULPTURE -Hercules and Lichas
Room Four Painting six - Botticelli self portrait
About the artists and sculptors Sandro Botticelli The artist behind The Birth Of Venus, Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) spent almost his entire lifetime in the republic of Florence. Botticelli was famous for many renaissance paintings alongside decorating the Sistine chapel. Aside from painting the primavera, Botticelli's most famous work , painted for the Medici family was The Birth Of Venus. This was the first large-scale renaissance painting of its kind with an exclusively secular and mythological subject. Unfortunately Botticelli’s fame for his work was not resurrected until the late 19th century, long after his death.
Peter Paul Rubens Known as the “Prince of painters and painter of princes” during his lifetime , Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640) was the greatest and most influential baroque artist in northern Europe . Rubens was employed by some of the greatest patrons in Europe. Rubens was born in Germany ,where his father was a refugee from religious strife. He returned to live in his family home in Antwerp where he spent the next 10 years . After this from around 1600 to 1608 he was largely based in his Italy where he flourished as an artist .As a devoted family man, he also created touching portraits of his family members and celebrated them in his spectacular religious, mythological, and historical paintings.
Titian Titian (1485-1576) was known as the greatest painter of the venetian school. In his long career as an artist , he won the award of most prestigious works from the Hapsburg court. Titian had a way of revolutionising and adding his own twist on every genre of painting he worked in. His paintings altarpieces are bright and full of dramatic compositions, and his mythological works are colourful and celebrate erotic passion. In addition he create a variety of portraits presenting the human form in different poses and formats . One of the best shows Charles V mounted on his horse at the Battle of Muhlberg.
Antonio Canova The Italian neoclassical sculptor , Canova (1757 – 1822) worked mainly in marble to create smooth white finished sculptures depicting many different subjects. Often regarded as the greatest of the neoclassical artists, his work was inspired by the Baroque and classical revival. The smooth finish of his sculptures was typical of neoclassical sculptures ,modelled from classical examples in the belief that they were not painted . Some of his most famous works include The Three Graces , Cupid and Psyche and Theseus and the Minotaur
Room One
The Birth Of Venus by Sandro Botticelli, 1486 is a large scale tempera on canvas painting located in the Uffizi, Florence. The painting shows four figures; Zephyrus, Chloris, Venus and Horae in a vivid scene by the edge of the sea. In the scene, the Greek god of the wind, Zephyrus, is embracing Chloris, who he has captured. Zephyrus is pictured blowing winds towards the nude goddess of love Venus. She is stood on a large seashell, arriving from the sea. To the right if Venus, Horae (a nymph) is leaping up to clothe the newly born goddess in a floral shawl as she arrives on the beach . Many people believe that the figure of Venus was possibly based on an Italian noblewoman, Simonetta Vespucci ( 1453 -1476) nicknamed La Bella Simonetta. She was the face of spiritual beauty at the time of the paintings creation. Although it is not known if the painting was supposed to resemble Simonetta, the painting was finished 9 years after her death. Botticelli was also buried at her feet as requested when he died 34 years later in 1510.
The figure of Venus was inspired by the ‘Aphrodite of Cnidus’ the first life-sized representation of the female nude. Also the figure was based on the account of the fabled classical artist Apelles’ lost painting of the goddess rising from the waves of the sea. This painting is typical of the Renaissance style, and shows similar features to the next painting.
The Primavera, 1482, by Botticelli also known as the ‘Allegory of Spring’ is a large tempera on panel painting depicting the beginning of spring in a busy, fertile orange grove. The painting, described as one of Botticelli’s most famous works shows a spring setting with the goddess Venus directly in the centre , surrounded by a halo of trees and foliage. Venus is welcoming the viewer into her domain, while a blindfolded Cupid flies above her. She looks directly at the viewer and holds out her right hand to her side. She is dressed in a long flowing dress. On her left are the three graces, who hold their hands up together and seem to be dancing ,they further portray idealistic beauty. One of the most visible features of this painting is that all of the figures are elongated to add to the idealistic style and visual beauty. Although the Primavera has a strong mythological theme , the exact meaning of the painting is not known.
Room two
Mars and Venus is a c. 1483 painting also by Sandro Botticelli . It shows the Roman gods Venus and Mars in an allegory of beauty and valour. The youthful and voluptuous couple recline in a forest setting, surrounded by playful Satyrs .The painting is typically symbolic of love, pleasure and play.
In the painting Venus watches Mars sleep while two infant satyrs play behind them , carrying his helmet and lance .A fourth satyr blows a small conch shell in his ear in an effort to wake him. Although the painting draws from classical sources, perhaps in particular the description by Lucian of a lost painting of the marriage of Alexander the Great and Roxana , it diverges from these in important aspects, and is a product of early Renaissance Neo platonic thinking. The scene is set in a forest , and the sense of perspective and horizon extremely compact. The sea from which Venus emerged can be seen in the distant background pat the satyrs . In the foreground, a swarm of wasps hovers around Mars' head, possibly as a symbol of the Vespucci family or that love is often accompanied by pain.
Peter Paul Rubens’ Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus (1617) is a mythological painting that depicts the moment when the two daughters of King Leucippus, Phoebe and Hilaeira, were abducted and then married by Castor and Pollux. The painting shows dynamic action and poses as the sisters are carried off by the men, which is typical in Baroque painting. In the painting two cupids are seen, each grabbing the reins of the two large horses, to signify that this was not a violent abduction and that love was present. The Group of figures are composed like a free-standing sculpture, set against a low horizon landscape. There is an emphasis on the fleshy nudity of the maidens and their form. Which is typical of than Rubenesque style. The two nudes are formally complementary and each presents a different view of the dynamic action , which is close to the viewer. In antiquity this abduction symbolised angels taking souls to heaven and so this sensuous mythological rendering was given a philosophical and Christian significance.
Antonio Canova’s marble sculpture Theseus and the Minotaur (1781-83) borrows ideas and takes inspiration from the ancient world. The painting depicts the Ancient Greek myth of Theseus defeating the monstrous Minotaur in the labyrinth of King Minos’ palace in Crete. Theseus sits proudly on the body of the defeated monster looking down at him as he holds a club in his eft arm. The form of seated Theseus is inspired from an antique statue of Hercules, the Greek god of war and strength. The Head of Theseus is also derived from ancient sources and his torso is based on study of Belvedere Torso. Narrative clues given in the sculpture such as the thread used by Theseus to escape from the labyrinth. The sculpture is of an ancient subject representing reason conquering brute force.
Room three
Bacchus and Ariadne (1522–1523) is a mythological oil painting by Titian. It is one of a cycle of paintings on mythological subjects produced for Alfonso I d’este Duke of Ferrara, for a private room in his palace in Ferrara decorated with paintings based on classical texts. In the case of Bacchus and Ariadne, the subject matter was derived from the Roman poets Catullus and Ovid .
The painting, considered one of Titian's greatest works, now hangs in the National Gallery in London. The other major paintings in the cycle are The Feast of The Gods (mostly by Giovanni Bellini , now in the National Gallery of Art , Washington, D.C), and Titian's The Bacchanal of The Andrians and The Worship of Venus (both now in the Museo del Prado,Madrid).
Antonio Canova’s The Three Graces is a Neoclassical sculpture , in marble, of the mythological three Charities. The sculpture has all the refined elements of neoclassical art. They are the daughters of Zeus – identified on some engravings of the statue as, Euphrosyne, Aglaea and Thalia- who were said to represent beauty, charm and joy. The Graces presided over banquets and gatherings primarily to entertain and delight the guests of the gods. They have always proved to be attractive figures and favoured subjects for many famous artists .
Grace is one of three or more minor goddesses of charm, beauty, nature, human creativity, and fertility, together known as the Charites or Graces. The Charites were usually considered the daughters of Zeus and Eurydome , although there are other thoughts of who may be their ‘parents’. In art, the three graces are depicted in many ways but they always show a bond or some sort of unity which makes them one .This is depicted by there gestures and positioning.
Hercules and Lichas (1795-1815) is another large scale Neoclassical marble sculpture by the famous Antonio Canova located in the Galleria Nazionale d'Arte Moderna e Contemporanea, Rome. The sculpture features. The sculpture shows Hercules, the Roman name for the Greek divine hero demigod Heracles ,who was the son of Zeus. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. In the sculpture he is throwing his servant Lichas over his shoulder by his feet. This dynamic sculpture emphasises Canova’s ability to capture the moment and the figures anatomical details , for example this can be seen in his exaggerated muscles.
Room four
Adoration of the Magi of 1475 Displayed in The
The Adoration of the Magi is a painting by the Italian Renaissance master Sandro Botticelli, dating from 1475 or 1476. It is housed in the Uffizi of Florence . Botticelli was commissioned to paint at least seven versions of The Adoration of the Magi in his lifetime , including this piece featuring a portrait of himself .In the scene numerous characters are present to watch over the child , among which are several members of the Medici family: Cosimo de' Medici , his sons Piero and Giovanni , and his grandsons Giuliano and Lorenzo.
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