Botticelli Primavera.

Artist:Sandro Botticelli.
year:1482.
Location:Ufizzi Gallery,florence.

The Primavera painting is said to be "one of the most popular paintings in Western art."(culture&values 2009). It has left many scholars and critics baffled. They do not have any history of the intended meaning or the story that this work of art is communicating creating a string of philosophies for the this thought-provoking image.

Looking at this image I can see possibly signs of love,fertility,and fate. I Can see this from cupid who is a symbol of love and fate. Fertility from Flora being pregnant and Venus. The three women who look to me as if they are dancing they look pure and innocent wearing white with pearls in their hair which symbolised purity.Possibly celebrating youth and beauty?Spring is often celebrated as it is the time that crops,fruit and beautiful plants grow, and of course beautiful weather. The man picking fruit from the tree could this be symbolic of the forbidden fruit? However as lovely as the image looks there is something very questionable about this image and the message it is sending to the receiver. The ghostly looking I am guessing God, or angel as he has wings grasping Chloris in a aggressive manner judging by his face. He almost looks like the wind to me could he be trying to ruin or postpone spring? It could be representing

This is one of the famous tales of the image (book of Ovdis Fasti) Ovid's Fasti in which the wood nymph Chloris's naked charms attracted the first wind of Spring, Zephyr. Zephyr pursued her and as she was ravished, flowers sprang from her mouth and she became transformed into Flora, goddess of flowers. 

This was the part of the tale that interested me. As the character I am I find influential is Flora. As the patterns on her dress have been part of my inspiration for Henna on my design. I like that there are flowers around her neck influencing my decision to have Henna on the neck. To me representing growth, multiple ways. Growth as in growth of flowers,fruit and crops, growth of a child and growth in beauty. 

Since this painting Flora has become an iconic character representing fertility and spring "Across the early modern period, the genealogy of Flora as fertility Goddess Ovidian "mother of flowers".(Figuring it out:Science,Gender,and visual culture. by Ann B. Shteir, Bernard V. Lightman,pg10). 

She has been painted again and again from people's minds. A popular painting is Rembrandt Flora. What I found interesting about his image was how her image has developed since Botticellis painting she looks younger to me. It is also interesting to see the fashion development clothing, makeup and hair flowers.  The Henna I will use will be my take on her symbolism for growth.

Rembrandt Flora (1634)
The state heritage museum,
St Petersburg.