JONATHAN MANICKAM

Burnside High School

BEAUTY ACROSS THE

AGES
AS91398 3.5

Jonathan Manickam

GREEK / HELLENISTIC PERIOD

Reproduction A:
Hellenistic marble sculpture, Aphrodite,
Pan and Eros.
Date
C. 100BC
Source:
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/AphroditePa
n.htm

Subject Matter
The above sculpture depicts the Greek goddess Aphrodite, daughter of
Zeus, goddess of beauty and sexual love. She is depicted on the left
alongside Pan, god of the wild, who can be seen on the right, and her son
Eros (god of sexual attraction and desire) in between them. The scene
illustrates an interaction between Aphrodite and Pan where which Pan
attempts to seduce the goddess and have his way with her while she
playfully resists.
Pan is portrayed as a very rugged individual whom is not very well kept,
as exemplified by his shaggy facial and body hair. This alongside his wide
grin speaks of his unbound and free-spirited nature. His lack of covering
and muscular frame speak of his wild nature as he is indeed the god of the
wild and showcase his masculinity. Eros is a very small figure portrayed in
usual style as a baby/small child, with no muscular definition and chubby
arms and cheeks again his childish nature is shown very clearly.
The scene is of Pan attempting to allure the goddess, we first see this with
his facial expression. With eyes wide open and a playful grin he treats her
actions as some sort of game where his prize should he win is to have her
to himself. Also noted is his stance, with his left (front foot) holding the

Jonathan Manickam

entirety of his body weight and his left arm (front arm) holding onto her
forearm, his right hand and foot are pressed against Aphrodites back and
the back of her leg. Pan intends to apply force and push her to the ground
playfully, his lustful intentions are emphasised greatly by this.
Eros has a grasp on one of Pans horns and another hand above his
mothers shoulder and does his best to separate the two. Aphrodite sees
all of this being very aware of her surroundings, but yet we see very little
resistance to Pans actions. We see her make eye contact directly with Pan
and reciprocate the playful grin which he offers her, inviting him to play
his games with her. With her legs close together and her weight on her
front foot she makes no effort to counter the push that she sees incoming;
and with her right arm up taunting him with a sandal, she leaves her
breasts exposed for Pan to gaze at.
Aphrodite here is portrayed her as the epitome of Greek beauty. She
possesses a very full body shape with a smaller nipped in waist, dissimilar
from the skinny fashion models of today or the rubenesque body figure
deemed attractive during the romantic era. Her hair is tied up and out the
way and she was carved with a small beautiful fair face. Her son Eros is
also in the scene evidently showing us that she is a mother and her wide
hips accentuating this. These were all very attractive features during the
Greek area and exemplify to the viewers of the time what true beauty was
and emphasising Aphrodites position as the goddess of beauty and sexual
love.
Aphrodites pose also speaks of her elegance and beauty. Her left leg is
bent with a majority of her weight on her right foot and her hips are on a
slight lean to balance her out, this is very realistic and makes her look
very natural. Her knees are close together and her legs are closed which
adds a real aspect to elegance and gracefulness to her posture and
stance. She is portrayed in the pudica pose with one arm covering her
private area and this again makes her look more elegant and natural. It is
very clear that the artist has done this all very intentionally in order for
the viewer to grasp and understand the message of beauty and elegance
in the sculpture, that Aphrodite is very beautiful and elegant, that is.
With only one hand barely covering herself it is clear she is making no
attempt to be modest in front of the god of the wild. Even though she is a
goddess and could leave at any moment or summon any weapon of her
choosing she simply holds a sandal in a very unthreatening manner,
showing us her playful and sexual nature, she is not at all bothered or
intimidated by Pan.

Jonathan Manickam

Roman Period
Reproduction B
Venus, Mars & Cupid, fresco from
Pompeii, House of Mars and Venus,
C1st AD, Imperial Roman
Date
C. 100 AD
Source

http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/F10.2.html

Subject Matter
The above fresco shows Venus (now Venus not Aphrodite as she is now a
Roman goddess) in the arms of Mars, the Roman god of war. Though
Venus was married to Vulcan, the god of fire and the blacksmithing, she
had many lovers both mortal and immortal, Mars was one of them, whom
she is often portrayed with. The Fresco shows the viewer a bedroom scene
where the two are being romantic with one another while their children,
Cupid and Phobos play around.
Venus again radiates beauty and elegance with her pose. She is seen in a
variation of the pudica pose but instead of her arms covering her privates
her cloak is obstructing the viewers view .Her long arm is raised so

Jonathan Manickam

gracefully with her fingers poised so elegantly at the end in a beautiful

movement showing off her long slender fingers, this highlighting her
gracefulness and showing off her true godly elegance. Her left leg is
shown outstretched beneath her cloak giving her body more line and
making it appear longer and elegant. This is only accentuated by the fact
that her body runs parallel to the spear which she is holding appealing to
the eye and embodying the goddess in an aura of elegance and
gracefulness.
Here in this fresco Venus is shown as a representation of the Pompeiian
ideas of beauty. She is overall more round her face is rounder and lacks
significant feature definition, she has very small breasts and lacks very
much body definition. She also wears a lot of jewellery, rings on her
fingers, a necklace and a piece in her hair, all of which appear to be made
of gold. This accurately showcases all that beauty was deemed to be in
Pompeii at the time, again quite dissimilar to anything modern society
could deem familiar. This conveys to the audience the beauty of Venus,
that she was truly the embodiment of beauty and the perfect figure.

The atmosphere of this painting speaks wonders of the intimate and

sensual side of Venus. She is poised in the arms of her lover looking
lovingly into his eyes. Her children are playing and this really gives us a
sense of her as a mother and a lover, she is portrayed so vulnerable, soft,
and gentle. The warm colours present in the scene, red cloak and shield,
tan skin, beige walls, accentuate this intimate atmosphere. She also
appears to be teasing Mars, being very sensual in her manner. The
necklace she wears brings attention to her breasts, the cloak she has does
a poor job of covering her private areas. The pudica pose shes in adds
length and beauty to her body and her outstretched arm and leg are very
inviting and alluring, all these things provide the artwork with a very
sensual atmosphere.
Alongside the messages of beauty intimacy and sensuality, there is also a
tremendous message conveyed about the relationship between love and
war. In the painting, Venus is presented in her prime, in a most beautiful
and sexual state, emphasising all that she is, while Mars retreats from his
usual self, no essence of war can be seen about him, he has no sword or
shield and no helmet even which is very unusual. This sends a very
powerful message to the audience. That love conquers war, ironically. This
message is echoed in the acts of the two children in the scene. Cupid, the
god of sexual attraction is stood upright high above all in the scene while
Phobos, the personification of fear, fumbles feebly with his fathers
armour. These two things in tandem highlight the fact that there is no

Jonathan Manickam

place for fear and war while there is love, that love truly does prevail and
overcome all.

Renaissance Era
Reproduction C
The Birth of Venus Botticelli
Date
1486 AD
Source
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Bi
rth_of_Venus_(Botticelli)
Subject Matter
The above painting tells the viewer of the birth of Venus. Painted in 1496
by Italian Botticelli, the painting tells the tail in accordance with both
classical and renaissance poets. The classical poet Hesiod writes of how
Cronus the titan castrated his father Uranus, Father Sky, as revenge for his
cruel upbringing. From Uranus severed genitals a sea was formed from
which Venus was born. This part of the hymn is represented by the white
lines forming a V shape in the water, representing the sea foam from

Jonathan Manickam

the severed genitals from which she came. The Florentine poet Poliziano
also wrote about this scene in his epic poem. He speaks of how Venus was
driven towards the shore on a shell by Zephyrus, god of the wind, while
the Horae of the Seasons stood on the shore in white, flowing garments.
This clearly explains what is happening in this painting and it seems that
Botticelli has been greatly influenced by these epic poems.
It is clear that Venus is the main attraction in this artwork, standing front
and centre she is has the attention of not only the viewer of the artwork,
but also other characters in the painting. To the left of Venus we see the
gods of wind Zephyrus and Aura whom are blowing the newly born
goddess Venus to shore and to her right we see Pomona the nymph
associated with spring who holds a cloak outstretched ready to clothe
Venus as soon as she comes to shore. Having the undivided attention of
all these important figures outlines the significance of the birth of Venus
and this is conveyed very well to the viewer.
Again Venus is portrayed in a pudica pose, with her left hand holding her
long hair and covering her genitals, she wears no clothes and is covered
by nothing else. All her weight is placed on her left foot as her right foot is
hovering over the shell, her knees and thighs are very close together and
her long legs lead to her very toned body and atop is her head placed on a
very awkward angle. This is very unlike usual Renaissance art as the pose
is quite unnatural, her skin is also a very unusually pale white achieved by
mixing paint with egg whites. The unnatural pose and colour tell of her
divine nature as no human would be able to stand in that pose without
falling over, no human could position their neck like that and no human is
that ghostly colour. From these things we infer that she is indeed a
goddess being born and no mere mortal.
The themes of beauty and sensuality are also conveyed in this artwork,
her toned body, well-proportioned limbs, blush cheeks, defined facial
features and wide hips speak marvels of her beauty. While her long
luscious red hair, exposed breasts, pudica pose and alluring gaze offer the
viewer as sense of her sensuality. It is very well evidenced the beautiful
and sensual themes present in the artwork.
Also present in this artwork is the theme of a new beginning and renewal
of youth and life.
The subject matter is the birth of Venus, indeed suggesting the coming
forth of a new era, there are flowers all around the wind gods and also on
the cloak which Pomona holds which represent life and fertility. We see a
clear blue sea and lush greenery and forestry insinuating growth and
again life. It seems this message was intentionally put into the artwork by
Botticelli to represent the new era that was being brought forth, the
rebirth of the arts and also the recovery of Italy after a large amount of

Jonathan Manickam

the population was killed by plagues which had just passed. This artwork
sends to the viewer an inspiring message of a new and fruitful beginning.

Task B
Each individual artwork possesses similarities and differences with the
other artworks, possessing its own unique features and sharing some
features with other artworks by analysing the artworks we can compare
and contrast them.
In reproduction A, the Greek statue, the story told is unique. Incoherent
with any well-known myths or legends the artist takes his own approach to
the tale and leaves a lot to the imagination, such as what happens the
moment after what is pictured in the scene and how did the goddess
come to be in the situation which she is in. It is also the only artwork
which has a non-humanoid character, being the satyr. The inclusion of Pan
opens up many doors for the artist as there are many stories already of
the god of the wild and his character can be influenced by these and in
turn further developed by the artwork as now we see his relations with the
Olympian gods giving us new insight into the topic of the relations

Jonathan Manickam

between minor and major gods. Themes present in this artwork are also
quite unique. Playfulness being one, we see the cheeky playful nature of
Venus here and in no other artwork, and also we see Eros, the goddess of
sexual attraction, making an unusual attempt to separate two individuals
who are sexually attracted which is truly unique indeed as it goes against
his very nature.
In reproduction B, the Pompeiian fresco we can identify many unique
things about the artwork. The way in which Mars is portrayed is very
unique being the god of war almost always an element of war is shown
alongside him whether it be that he has his helmet on or his sword and
shield in hand, however in this case we see no such thing, he is so
dissociated with his standings as the god of war and were it not for his
children and armour in the scene it would be very difficult to distinguish
him form any other man or god. This however is done with reason to
accentuate the idea that love conquers war. The Portrayal of Venus in this
artwork is also quite unique, Venus is almost always displayed as a woman
who has very fair skin, light coloured hair, sizeable breasts and a toned
figure however here we see Venus with short brown hair, very tanned skin,
small breasts and fuller, less toned figure, which is quite unique and
doesnt follow suit with the other studied portrayals of the goddess. Again
however this is done with reason as these were the ideals of beauty in
Pompeii during the Roman era and in order to portray Venus as beautiful
she needed to be beautiful to the people which is why she was exhibited
in a unique manner in this artwork.
Reproduction C, the painting by Botticelli homes many unique things to
the artwork. First and foremost is the skin tone and portrayal of Venus.
The colour used to colour Venus in this work is truly one of a kind and was
achieved by creating a mixture of egg whites and paint arguably
impossible to recreate exactly. Her pose is also unusual and unique, in
other studied reproductions of the goddess along with a majority of
artworks portraying her she is seen as a natural beauty in a natural pose
however in this case she is poised unnaturally in a manner which should
result in her falling over and her neck in a precarious position. This was
done as to distinguish Venus as an ethereal beauty as a divine being
rather than a mere mortal. Also her sensual nature cannot be inferred in
this artwork from her relations with another as she is a new born and is
completely innocent rather we look at her gaze, her pose and her hair
solely to gain a sense of her sensuality which is ever present.
Each of the artworks showcases what was envisioned of true beauty
during that time period, and as each painting was created much after the
other ideals of beauty changed drastically over time and thus
discrepancies can be seen between the artworks. We see this especially in
hairstyle. The Greek statue of Aphrodite has her hair ties up and back with

Jonathan Manickam

a large scarf, this is drastically contrasted by the hairstyle of the

Pompeiian fresco which came 200 years later where Venus has short
brown curly hair and again things change drastically in the Renaissance
artwork as Venus here has long gorgeous red hair on show for all to see.
These discrepancies between the artworks can be further seen in the rest
of each of the figures. The Greek sculpture showcases an Aphrodite with
wide hips and a pinched in waist, well defined facial features and a toned
frame. The Pompeiian fresco exhibits a Venus with wide hips but a very
full frame, small breasts and not very defined facial features while
Botticellis creation of Venus falls similarly with the Greek sculpture
showcasing a Venus with a slender and toned figure however again being
different with a much more natural elongated face. So while each artwork
is similar in the fact that they portray the goddess of beauty in the most
beautiful way possible at the time they are all very different as they all
showcase very different reproductions of Venus/Aphrodite simply because
the ideals of beauty changed drastically over time.
Something different about each artwork is the main theme present. While
the underlying themes of beauty and sensuality are seen in each of the
artworks, the focus theme of each artwork varies muchly. The Greek
sculpture of Venus and Pan magnifies the theme of playfulness,
everything about the artwork is playful, the way they look at each other,
their actions, their poses and their intentions. Due to the unique subject
matter it is unclear as to why this theme is emphasised but it could simply
be because that is what the Artist wanted to do, create a unique artwork
with a unique subject matter and unique themes. The Roman artwork of
Venus and Mars emphasises the message of love overcoming war by
showing Venus in her prime and Mars is a very vulnerable state without
his armour or war relics. This theme was conveyed to an audience in
Pompeii, possibly because they had just come out of a period of unrest,
possibly because that is what the wealthy Pompeiians wanted to have
shown to them. Lastly we have the messages conveyed by the
Renaissance piece, the bringing forth of a new era, with all the symbolism
of new life, growth and flourishment this theme was very evident and
Botticelli clearly wanted it to be seen by viewers. This theme was present
to send a powerful message to the people during the beginning of the
Renaissance era that there would be growth and flourishment after the
season of death and destruction.
The pudica pose and nudity is something which can be seen in all three
artworks studied. In reproduction A Aphrodites left hand can be seen
covering her privates and her knees are touching as she stands in typical
pudica pose, she wears no clothes. In reproduction B we see Venus laying
down in a variation of the Pudica pose while her hand is not covering her
privates she has a cloak draped over her thigh in an attempt to cover
herself showing similarity to the pudica pose, again she is fully in the

Jonathan Manickam

nude. Lastly in reproduction C we see Venus in very typical pudica pose as

her left hand has gathered her hair and she then covers her privates,
clothed in no robes. Portraying Venus in the nude and in pudica pose was
most likely done in all three artwork most likely because that is how she
was most often portrayed, it set her apart from all the other female gods
as none of them were ever shown in the nude and the pudica pose was
reserved almost solely for Venus. This resulted in a Venus that was easily
recognisable and distinguishable and is very likely the reason why she is
portrayed like this in all thee artworks.

Task C

Jonathan Manickam

The Renaissance era sparked the rebirth of the interest in art in all its
forms, for a long time cultural tendencies had it that that art was a
deprioritised aspect of culture and this essentially rendered the creation of
art near useless. The increase in wealth of the people of Italy (Florence in
particular) during the late 1300s resulted in more funds being put aside
for art this brought forth a new age of creation and results in many of the
famous works we have today. While the Renaissance era was long after
ancient civilisations, many aspects of renaissance art takes cues from, and
expands on art produced during the classical era.
We see with the artworks studied artwork the extent of which Renaissance
artworks were influenced by works from the Greek and Roman Periods.
Firstly established from the artworks are the fundamental themes of the
goddess of beauty. With reference to reproduction A, In the Greek
sculpture, with her fashionable hair style, small beautiful face and
perfectly curved body, she stands as a testament to Greek beauty; with
her playful nature alongside her sexual prowess and appeal we garner an
immediate sense of her sensuality. These fundamental themes are then
continued on into her portrayal in the Roman era. Alongside Mars in
reproduction B we see her curly hair, small breasts and jewellery which
emanate the ideology of Roman beauty. Her pose and vulnerable position,
in addition to her nude and sexy portrayal again her sensuality is
emphasized. Beauty and sensuality are recurring themes in the studied
artworks which establish the fundamental aspects of the goddess.
Renaissance artworks of Venus/Aphrodite are heavily influenced by these
fundamental themes and often take and develop them further, as
exemplified in reproduction C. Here we see again both the true beauty and
sensuality of the goddess; her slender figure, long luscious hair, gorgeous
defined facial features and toned body show the true ethereal beauty of
the goddess, repeating the classical theme of beauty. Her enticing facial
expression, her red hair and meagre efforts to clothe herself speak
convincingly of her essence of sensuality, thus again showing the
previously mentioned classical theme of sensuality. The presence of
classical themes in this renaissance artwork thoroughly exemplifies the
continuation of the themes of beauty and sensuality throughout the ages
and shows that artworks of the renaissance era have been greatly
influenced by themes repeated through previous ages.
With reference to reproduction C (titled: The Birth of Venus) we see a
great deal of classical influence on the subject matter of the Renaissance
era painting. The painting tells directly the birth of Venus in accordance to
hymns of the classical poet Hesiod. The hymn tells of how Cronus the titan
castrated his father, Father Sky, as revenge for his cruel upbringing. From
Uranus severed genitals a sea was formed from which Venus was born.
This part of the hymn is represented by the white lines forming a V

Jonathan Manickam

shape in the water, representing the sea foam from the severed genitals
from which she came. She is seen standing upright on an open seashell
which is carrying her to Cythera, on rare occasion she is named Cytherea
(Lady of Cythera) due to this. This portrayal of the goddess falls in line
with many works of the classical era as not only is the subject matter
derived straight from a classical Homeric hymn but also her portrayal
standing atop a seashell is very commonly seen in classical artworks.
There is no doubt Botticelli gained inspiration and was influenced by the
Classical poets and artworks of ancient Greece and Rome.
Venus as according to Botticelli is also portrayed in the classical pudica
pose, by which one hand of the unclothed goddess covers the private
parts. This pose can be seen in and arguably originates from ancient
Greece artworks, both reproduction A and B (from Greek and Roman eras
respectively) exhibit the goddess Venus/Aphrodite in a form of this pose.
The Greek sculpture shows Aphrodite covering her private area with her
right hand and the Roman Fresco shows the goddess with a cloak draped
over her thigh covering herself. This pose is of the classical western world
and is usually used in the portrayals of the goddess of beauty hence why
it is often referred to as Venus Pudica. The artist Botticelli was certainly
influenced by this when producing his representation of the birth of Venus
as he also took inspiration from the ancient works and painted the
goddess in the classical pudica as seen. The pose not only outlines
similarities between artworks across the ages but was used by Botticelli to
portray the goddess in the most beautiful and flattering manner. Her
closed legs, one in front of the other, result in her stance being less rigid
and more relaxed and calm, ensuring she looks elegant and graceful.
The birth of Venus arguably was an unusual painting in its time as it failed
to reflect some of the core societal values of the time. The creation of the
painting took place in Italy during the Renaissance era. In Italy at this
time, the people were comprised mainly of Christians and the societal
values reflected that in the fact that the only female to be exposed in the
nude in works of art was biblical Eve, and it was very unorthodox and
uncultured for any other figure to be portrayed in this manner. Regardless
of this, Venus was drawn completely naked by Botticelli. This nude
portrayal of the goddess can also be seen in the Greek sculpture
(reproduction A) and the Pompeiian fresco (reproduction B). The Greek
sculpture of Aphrodite alongside Pan and Eros has Aphrodite standing
completely naked in front of the god of the wild. And the Pompeiian fresco
shows Venus completely unclothed and vulnerable. We can also take note
of the very first time the goddess of sexual love was shown unclothed. In
350 BC the members of the island of Kos commissioned Greek sculptor
Praxiteles to carve a statue in dedication to Aphrodite. He carved her for
the first time completely naked, this did not sit well with the religious
leaders of the island however and they demanded that another one be

Jonathan Manickam

made where the goddess was clothed, as the nude portrayal of a goddess
did not fit in with values and conventions of the time as it did not show
proper respect to the goddess nor give her dignity. The first statue of the
unclothed goddess was then sold cheaply to a nearby Island, visitors
came from afar to see the statue and it inspired many artists who were
influenced by the work and decided that they too would show the goddess
in the nude. This is a prime example of the classical influences on the
creation of this artwork as the influences from the classical era were more
influential and held more weight than the societal values of the birthplace
of the painting at the time upon the creation of The Birth of Venus. From
the first portrayal of Aphrodite in the nude to her being shown naked in
Greek and Roman reproductions we can see that classical artwork has a
heavy influence on Renaissance artwork as Venus was painted nude by
Botticelli against ideologies of the time.
While we see heavy influence of Greek and Roman art forms in
Renaissance art it is important to understand the limitations which are
present when finding out how deep these influences are rooted. Any
conclusion based solely on few pieces of evidence is very likely to be
flawed. While we can make assumptions as to themes present and
influences; by studying only two artworks from the classical era, not
nearly as much information can be garnered as if many artworks were
studied. Even if more artworks were studied, artworks of the renaissance
era were influenced by so much more than simply artworks which
preceded them, the culture, the fundamental ideologies of the people and
what was in the mind of the artist when creating an artwork is all
information which cannot be derived by studying a few artworks, the
limitation of sources of evidence severely limits our understanding when
looking at the classical influences on renaissance art. However, making
assumptions and connections, looking at artworks in detail, only provides
more insight into the influences of art throughout the ages.

Jonathan Manickam

Bibliography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Birth_of_Venus_(Botticelli)
http://www.theoi.com/Gallery/F10.2.html
http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Arts/AphroditePan.htm
http://www.artble.com/artists/sandro_botticelli/paintings/birth_o
f_venus
http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/AphroditeMyths.html
http://www.paleothea.com/Myths/BirthAphrodite.html