Unveiling the Goddess: Exploring Warhol's Fascination with Botticelli's Birth of Venus

Botticelli's The Birth of Venus, approx. 68" x 109"

It was while visiting Pittsburg's Warhol Museum in April 2019 that I became aware of Andy Warhol's fascination with Sandro Botticelli's, The Birth of Venus. In the 1980s Warhol created a series of silkscreens based on the painting, many of which were featured in a room on one of the museum's upper floors. Warhol was no doubt drawn to the painting's beauty and its iconic status. He also saw it as a metaphor for the rise of celebrity culture.

Having now stood before this painting at the Uffizi in Florence this spring, I suspect that there were several reasons The Birth of Venus appealed to Warhol. First might be Botticelli's use of color. Where many, if not most, of the Renaissance paintings were saturated with color, The Birth of Venus struck me as surprisingly muted, more pastel, while simultaneously vibrant. As it turns out, whereas much of the art of that period was painted with oils, this painting was painted with tempera paints. (Tempera, also known as egg tempera, is a permanent, fast-drying painting medium consisting of colored pigments mixed with a water-soluble binder medium.)

The Birth of Venus (detail)

The scale of the painting is impressive, no doubt contributing to its iconic status. Warhol may have been fascinated by its fame, which has transcended time, and its ability to capture the imagination of people around the world.

Did Andy Warhol see The Birth of Venus as a metaphor for the birth of celebrity culture? It's well-known that Warhol saw celebrities as the modern day equivalent of gods and goddesses. 

Warhol's silkscreens of The Birth of Venus are among
his most famous works.

Warhol's silkscreens of The Birth of Venus are some of his most famous works. 

Warhol may have also been drawn to The Birth of Venus because of its connection to the past. Botticelli was a master of the Early Renaissance, and his work was inspired by classical antiquity. Warhol was fascinated by the past, and he often used historical imagery in his work. The Birth of Venus may have also appealed to Warhol because it was a reminder of a time when art was more focused on beauty and less focused on commerce.

For those unfamiliar, Venus, the Roman equivalent of the Greek goddess Aphrodite, played a role--according to Virgil's The Aeneid--in the founding of Rome in Italy. 

Botticelli's The Birth of Venus depicts the mythological goddess Venus emerging from the sea, born of the foam created by the severed genitals of Uranus, the sky god. This myth is a powerful image of the power of love and beauty, and it has been interpreted in many different ways over the centuries. It was commissioned by Lorenzo de' Medici, the ruler of Florence during the Renaissance. It embodies the Medici family's interest in classical antiquity and their patronage of the arts. The painting also reflects the Renaissance's interest in beauty and its celebration of the human body.

When I look at the eyes of Warhol's Venus, her left eye seems to be looking back at the viewer. When I look at the eyes of Botticelli's Venus, her expression appears more forlorn. Part of the fame of this Venus is her modesty. You can see it in her posture, covering her private parts with her hands, and you see it in her face. Perhaps it is this attitude of innocence that contributes to her power.

Related Links

Backstory on Aphrodite and the Trojan War
The Andy Warhol Museum: Reflections of the American Soul

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