Sandro Botticelli (1445- 1510)
Papadopoulou Theodora, Symeonidou Zoe
English Translation, Papadopoulou Alexandra
Sandro Botticelli was one of the best renowned Italian artists during the
Renaissance, with artworks such as “Birth of Venus”, “Primavera” and “The
Adoration of the Magi” regarded with esteem from all over the world and hosted
in the Uffizi Museum of Florence.
When Botticelli turned eighteen, he decided to indulge in painting, as an
apprentice of Fra Filippo Lippi, an artist with close relationships with the
Medici family, the most dominant and powerful house of Florence. In fact, the
strong influence of the Medici is very prominent in his work “The Adoration of
the Magi”, in which many personas related to the family are depicted.
Following his relocation to Florence in 1470, the artist creates portraits of
dominant contemporary figures, such as “Portrait of Giulliano de’ Medici” and
“Portrait of a Man with a Medal of Cosimo the Elder”, heavily inspired by the
notions of Neoplatonism. However, during the last steps of his artistic
development, he projects the desire to simplify his artistic style and emphasizes
on the clear depiction of his theme, without unnecessary elements.
With regard to the Art of the Renaissance and its main representatives, we will
shift the emphasis on two of the best recognized paintings of Sandro Botticelli;
“The Cestello Annunciation” and “The Adoration of the Magi”, as an attempt to
address the main elements defining this artistic movement and connect this
modern art with the influential house of the Medici.
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