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The Birth Of Venus
''The Birth of Venus'' ( ) is a painting by the Italian artist Sandro Botticelli, probably executed in the mid-1480s. It depicts the goddess Venus (mythology), Venus arriving at the shore after her birth, when she had emerged from the sea fully-grown (called Venus Anadyomene and often depicted in art). The painting is in the Uffizi, Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy. Although the two are not a pair, the painting is inevitably discussed with Botticelli's other very large mythological painting, the ''Primavera (painting), Primavera'', also in the Uffizi. They are among the most famous paintings in the world, and icons of Italian Renaissance painting; of the two, the ''Birth'' is better known than the ''Primavera''. As depictions of subjects from classical mythology on a very large scale they were virtually unprecedented in Western art since classical antiquity, as was the size and prominence of a nude female figure in the ''Birth''. It used to be thought that they were both co ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Nude (art)
The nude, as a form of visual art that focuses on the unclothed human figure, is an enduring tradition in Western art. It was a preoccupation of Ancient Greek art, and after a semi-dormant period in the Middle Ages returned to a central position with the Renaissance. Unclothed figures often also play a part in other types of art, such as history painting, including allegorical and religious art, portraiture, or the decorative arts. From prehistory to the earliest civilizations, nude female figures were generally understood to be symbols of fertility or well-being. In India, the Khajuraho Group of Monuments built between 950 and 1050 CE are known for their nude sculptures, which comprise about 10% of the temple decorations, a minority of them being erotic. Japanese prints are one of the few non-western traditions that can be called nudes, but the activity of communal bathing in Japan is portrayed as just another social activity, without the significance placed upon the lac ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Flora (deity)
Flora () is a Roman goddess of flowers and spring. She was one of the twelve deities of traditional Roman religion who had their own flamen, the ''Floralis'', one of the '' flamines minores''. Her association with spring gave her particular importance at the coming of springtime, as did her role as goddess of youth. She is one of several fertility goddesses and a relatively minor figure in Roman mythology. Her Greek counterpart is Chloris. Etymology The name ''Flōra'' descends from Proto-Italic ''*flōsā'' ('goddess of flowers'), itself a derivation from Proto-Italic ''*flōs'' ('flower'; cf. Latin ''flōs'', ''flōris'' 'blossom, flower'). It is cognate with the Oscan goddess of flowers ''Fluusa'', demonstrating that the cult was known more widely among Italic peoples. The name ultimately derives from Proto-Indo-European ''*bʰleh₃ōs'' ('blossoming'). Festivals and temples Flora's festival, the Floralia, was held between April 28 and May 3 and was celebrated with drin ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Chloris (nymph)
In Greek mythology, Chloris (; , from χλωρός ''chlōrós'', meaning "greenish-yellow", "pale green", "pale", "pallid", or "fresh") was a nymph/goddess who was associated with spring, flowers and new growth, believed to have dwelt in the Elysian Fields. Mythology Chloris was abducted by Zephyrus, the god of the west wind (which, as Ovid himself points out, was a parallel to the story of his brother Boreas and Orithyia), who transformed her into a deity known as Flora after they were married. Together, they have a son, named Karpos. She was also thought to have been responsible for the transformations of Adonis, Attis, Crocus, Hyacinthus and Narcissus into flowers.Ovid, ''Fasti'', 5. 195 ff In Ovid's Fasti V, she was partially responsible for the conception of Ares, who was born as revenge for Athena's birth. Hera came to her for rest, and upon discovering that Chloris could help her, insisted on it and swore not to tell Zeus. Using a flower, Chloris made Hera pregnan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Contrapposto
( 'counterpoise'), in the visual arts, is a human figure standing with most of its weight on one foot, so that its shoulders and arms twist off-axis from the hips and legs in the axial plane. First appearing in Ancient Greece in the early 5th century BCE, ''contrapposto'' is considered a crucial development in the history of Ancient Greek art (and, by extension, Western art), as it marks the first time in Western art that the human body is used to express a psychological disposition. The style was further developed and popularized by sculptors in the Hellenistic and Imperial Roman periods, fell out of use in the Middle Ages, and was later revived during the Renaissance. Michelangelo's statue of ''David'', one of the most iconic sculptures in the world, is a famous example of ''contrapposto''. Definition ''Contrapposto'' was historically an important sculptural development, for its appearance marks the first time in Western art that the human body is used to express a more re ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Horae
In Greek mythology, the Horae (), Horai () or Hours (, ) were the goddesses of the seasons and the natural portions of time. Etymology The term ''hora'' comes from the Proto-Indo-European ("year"). Function The Horae were originally the personifications of nature in its different seasonal aspects, but in later times they were regarded as goddesses of order in general and natural justice. "They bring and bestow ripeness, they come and go in accordance with the firm law of the periodicities of nature and of life", Karl Kerenyi observed, adding "''Hora'' means 'the correct moment'." Traditionally, they guarded the gates of Olympus, promoted the fertility of the earth, and rallied the stars and constellations. The course of the seasons was also symbolically described as the dance of the Horae, and they were accordingly given the attributes of spring flowers, fragrance and graceful freshness; for example, in Hesiod's '' Works and Days'', the fair-haired ''Horai'', togethe ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Aura (mythology)
In Greek and Roman mythology, Aura ( , or Αὔρη ) is a minor wind goddess, whose name means "breeze". The plural form, Aurae () is sometimes found to describe a group of breeze nymphs. According to the late antiquity writer Nonnus, Aura is the daughter of the Titan Lelantos and the mother, by Dionysus, of Iacchus, a minor deity connected with the Eleusinian mysteries, while Quintus Smyrnaeus makes the Aurae daughters of Boreas, the god of the north wind. ''Aurae'' was the title of a play by the Athenian comic poet Metagenes, who was contemporary with Aristophanes, Phrynichus, and Plato. Etymology The Greek noun means "breeze, fresh air", especially cool breeze. It is cognate with the word , meaning air or morning mist, from an earlier Proto-Indo-European root ''*h₂ewsḗr''. Mythology Ovid The Augustan poet Ovid, in the '' Ars Amatoria'' and again in the ''Metamorphoses'', introduces Aura into the tragic story of Cephalus and Procris, perhaps playing on th ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Vasari
Giorgio Vasari (30 July 1511 – 27 June 1574) was an Italian Renaissance painter, architect, art historian, and biographer who is best known for his work '' Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects'', considered the ideological foundation of Western art-historical writing, and still much cited in modern biographies of the many Italian Renaissance artists he covers, including Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo, although he is now regarded as including many factual errors, especially when covering artists from before he was born. Vasari was a Mannerist painter who was highly regarded both as a painter and architect in his day but rather less so in later centuries. He was effectively what would now be called the minister of culture to the Medici court in Florence, and the ''Lives'' promoted, with enduring success, the idea of Florentine superiority in the visual arts. Vasari designed the ''Tomb of Michelangelo'', his hero, in the Basilica of Santa Cro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Zephyrus
In Greek mythology and religion, Zephyrus () (), also spelled in English as Zephyr (), is the god and personification of the West wind, one of the several wind gods, the Anemoi. The son of Eos (the goddess of the dawn) and Astraeus, Zephyrus is the most gentle and favourable of the winds, associated with flowers, springtime and even procreation. In myths, he is presented as the tender breeze, known for his unrequited love for the Spartan prince Hyacinthus. Alongside Boreas, the two are the most prominent wind gods with relatively limited roles in recorded mythology. Zephyrus, similarly to his brothers, received a cult during ancient times although his worship was minor compared to the Twelve Olympians. Still, traces of it are found in Classical Athens and surrounding regions and city-states, where it was usually joint with the cults of the other wind gods. His equivalent in Roman mythology is the god Favonius. Etymology The ancient Greek noun is the word for the wind that ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
List Of Wind Deities
A wind god is a god who controls the wind(s). Air deities may also be considered here as wind is nothing more than moving air. Many polytheistic religions have one or more wind gods. They may also have a separate air god or a wind god may double as an air god. Many wind gods are also linked with one of the four seasons. Africa Egyptian *Amun, god of creation and the wind. *, god of the east wind. In art, Henkhisesui appears as a winged man with a ram head, or a winged, ram headed Scarab. *, god of the west wind. In art, Hutchai appears as a winged man with a snake head. *Qebui, god of the north wind who appears as a man with four ram heads or a winged ram with four heads. *, god of the south wind. In art, Shehbui appears as a winged man with a lion head. * Shu, god of the air. Henkhisesui.svg, Henkhisesui Hutchai.svg, Ḥutchai Qebui.svg, Qebui Shehbui.svg, Shehbui Qebui as ram.svg, Qebui alternative form Henkhisesui as ram headed-Scarab.svg, Henkhisesui alternative form ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Giant Clam
''Tridacna gigas'', the giant clam, is the best-known species of the giant clam genus ''Tridacna''. Giant clams are the largest living bivalve molluscs. Several other species of "giant clam" in the genus ''Tridacna'' are often misidentified as ''Tridacna gigas''. These clams were known to indigenous peoples of East Asia for thousands of years and the Venetian scholar and explorer Antonio Pigafetta documented them in a journal as early as 1521. One of a number of large clam species native to the shallow coral reefs of the South Pacific and Indian oceans, they may weigh more than , measure as much as across, and have an average lifespan in the wild of more than 100 years. They also are found off the shores of the Philippines and in the South China Sea in the coral reefs of Malaysia. The giant clam lives in flat coral sand or broken coral and may be found at depths of as great as 20 m (66 ft). Its range covers the Indo-Pacific, but populations are diminishing quickly ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the west almost by the Morocco–Spain border. The Mediterranean Sea covers an area of about , representing 0.7% of the global ocean surface, but its connection to the Atlantic via the Strait of Gibraltar—the narrow strait that connects the Atlantic Ocean to the Mediterranean Sea and separates the Iberian Peninsula in Europe from Morocco in Africa—is only wide. Geological evidence indicates that around 5.9 million years ago, the Mediterranean was cut off from the Atlantic and was partly or completely desiccation, desiccated over a period of some 600,000 years during the Messinian salinity crisis before being refilled by the Zanclean flood about 5.3 million years ago. The sea was an important ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
