Evening Mood Adolphe William Bouguereau (1825-1905)

Description of William Bouguereau’s The Birth of Venus

1879; canvas, oil; 300×218; Musée d’Orsay.

William Bouguereau chose as the subject for his painting the famous myth of the emergence of Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, who, according to legend, arose from the foam of the sea off the coast of Cyprus. The composition of the scene is quite similar to the famous masterpiece by Sandro Botticelli, the Renaissance genius, but in both paintings one can clearly see the hand of the author and one can see the traces of the time in which the work was done.

The painting by Bouguereau is light, airy, executed in light colors, almost glowing with delicate colors. Despite the many sensual explicit images it leaves an impression of unsophisticated naturalness and antique simplicity.

The center of the composition is rightly Venus herself, standing on a huge seashell on the shore. Her pose is graceful, a little coquettish, filled with dignity. She is well aware of the power of her charms, but here she looks just a woman, barely awakened from her sleep. She is absorbed in herself and pays no attention to those who greet her. From under her eyelashes, the goddess stares out at the spectator.

Her arrival is proclaimed by the knights of the sea trumpeting into their shells. Dark-haired and dark-skinned, these three figures stand out sharply from all other characters in the picture. They surround their goddess, not daring to approach her, but they hold equally beautiful white-skinned women in their hands. The poses of all the participants unequivocally hint at carnal union.

The exception is the two children in the foreground. At Venus’ feet they play with a dolphin behind their backs they have tiny wings. They are angels who have broken away from the host of their brethren circling in the heavens above the head of the pagan deity. Or, perhaps, a flock of cupids, for the angels clutch a bow, a quiver, and arrows capable of kindling the flame of passion in a man’s heart.