Pope Sixtus IV summoned Botticelli to
Rome to execute frescoes for the walls of
the Sistine Chapel, where he paintedThe
Youth of Moses, The Punishment of the Sons
of Corah, and theTemptation of Christ.Af-
ter returning to Florence, he worked on il-
lustrations for Dante’s epic poemThe Di-
vine Comedy, and his illustrations appeared
in the first printed edition of the poem, in
1481.
Botticelli was schooled in traditional
religious themes. His works include several
famous Madonnas, and paintings of Saint
Sebastian, and Saint Augustine. But the
artist’s most famous works borrow figures
and themes from pagan mythology, and
are characterized by strong and precise
contour, soft colors, and mysterious set-
tings. The canvases entitled Primavera
(1478) andThe Birth of Venus(1485) were
painted for the villa of Lorenzo di Pier-
francesco de’ Medici, a cousin of the Flo-
rentine despot Lorenzo the Magnificent. In
both paintings appears the figure of Ve-
nus, the ancient Roman goddess of love
and beauty. In these works Botticelli may
have been influenced by the philosophy of
Neoplatonism, which was popular among
Lorenzo’s court circle, and which at-
tempted to reconcile classical paganism
and Christianity.
In 1480, Botticelli joined several im-
portant artists, including Pietro Perugino,
Domenico Ghirlandaio, and Filippo Lippi,
to complete a series of frescoes for the villa
of Lorenzo the Magnificent.
Botticelli’s artistic style changed in his
later works, when he began painting more
staged, traditional settings and figures in
stiffer, more formal poses. Botticelli grew
conservative in his approach to painting,
and filled his works with a sense of reli-Sandro Botticelli’s masterpiece, “Birth of Venus.” THEARTARCHIVE/DAGLIORTI.REPRODUCED BY
PERMISSION.
Botticelli, Sandro