Botticelli’s Celebration of “Divine” Nudity

Exploring the meaning of The Birth of Venus

The Birth of Venus (c. 1485) by Sandro Botticelli. Tempera on canvas. Uffizi Gallery, Florence. Image source Wikimedia Commons

During the Middle Ages, with the dominance of Christianity over European culture, the nude figure underwent an era of shaming. The Christian emphasis on chastity and celibacy meant that depictions of nakedness became far less common in art.