Looking at the Masters: Primavera 

It is Primavera, or Spring in English. The term is derived from the Latin primus tempus. Spring began this year on March 20, and it will come to an end on June 20. Jonquils, forsythia, and cherry blossoms are beginning to bloom in Chestertown and surrounds.

 

Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510), born in Florence, Italy, became one of the most renowned painters of the Renaissance.  His painting “Primavera” (1487) was commissioned by Lorenzo di Medici.  The work is tempera on a wood panel (80”x124”). Botticelli enlisted several Greek writers’ mythological sources for the painting, including Ovid, Virgil, Hesiod, and Plato. He also was influenced by the then popular philosophy of Neoplatonism as proposed by Marsilio Ficino (1422-1499). The Medici’s interest in Classical Greek and Roman literature led them to embrace Neoplatonism which valued the teachings of the ancients.  The Medicis sought to integrate Neoplatonism into the teachings of the Catholic Church. The Church did not agree or approve. 

“Primavera” (the coming of Spring) is not a depiction of any one story, rather it is a combination of many. The painting is read from right to left starting with Zephyrus, the god of the west wind, painted in cold blue. He represents the March wind. He chases and captures the beautiful wood nymph Chloris. She is dressed in a diaphanous gown, and her blond hair and gown are blown by the wind. She represents the beginning of Spring, a rose vine in her mouth. Zephyrus marries her and changes her into Flora, the goddess of Spring. As Flora, her hair is fashionably styled with a crown of flowers, and her dress is patterned with numerous flowers. 

She carries a large bouquet of white, red, and pink roses. The symbol of the three colors of roses often appears in Christian art. In the Old Testament Song of Solomon (2.1), the declaration “I am the Rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valley” establishes Mary’s identification with the rose. The rose is also called the queen of flowers, associating it with Mary as Queen of Heaven. The connection between Mary and the rose continued in the writing of many Medieval scholars. The rose was linked with Mary’s purity, glory, and sorrow. The white rose is a symbol of her purity; she often is referred to as the rose without thorns because she is without sin. The pink rose is a symbol of her joy at the birth of her Son, Jesus. The red rose is a symbol of her passion, when blood was shed by Christ’s sacrifice.  

Paintings in the Middle Ages and Renaissance often depicted Mary and other female saints in a rose garden, a paradise. The ground on which they stand is a Flemish millefleur (thousand flower) carpet design, often interpreted as paradise. The image is not intended to be realistic. The base color is a solid dark forest green with perfectly painted flowers of all seasons and types. According to one report, 190 plants and flowers are depicted in “Primavera,” of which 130 are identifiable.

The central figure is Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, with Cupid and the three Graces who often accompany her. Cupid is blindfolded and aims his arrow at one of the three Graces, who dance in a circle. Here, Venus represents the month of April. Fully clothed, she represents not earthly passion, but married women and motherly love. Her head is surrounded by the loose foliage of a myrtle tree. Hesiod described the birth of Venus as she arises naked from the sea and moves on land, clothing herself with the branches of a myrtle tree. The tree became sacred to Venus. Neoplatonists believed Venus ruled over both earthly passion and heavenly love, connecting this aspect of Venus with Mary. The goddess looks directly at the viewer, her hand raised in the peaceful gesture of welcome often seen in paintings of Mary.

The other trees forming the forest background are orange trees. The Medici crest contained five gold balls, and orange trees became symbolic in Florence of the Medicis. Venus’s bodice is decorated with gold chains decorated with flames. The flame was the symbol of St. Lawence who was martyred by burning. The painting was commissioned by Lorenzo (Lawrence) de Medici.

The three Graces were sisters who often accompanied Venus. Hesiod wrote that the three graces were Aglaea (Splendor), Euphrosyne (Joy), and Thalia (Good Cheer). Mercury, messenger of the gods is placed at the far left. He is dressed in red and wears winged sandals and carries a sword. Many scholars agree that he is modeled after Lorenzo di Pierfrancesco di Medici, cousin to Lorenzo the Magnificent. The painting was commissioned to celebrate his wedding. Mercury leads the entourage forward into the beauty of a new Spring.

Although the story of Botticelli’s “Primavera” is still being discussed, Monet’s painting “Springtime” (1872) (12’’x16’’) (Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore) offers the viewer the quiet pleasure of Spring. It depicts Monet’s first wife Camille Doncieux who is reading in their garden at Argenteuil. The couple were married in 1870, and Monet frequently used her as a model. In fact, she was such a good model, Manet and Renoir also employed her.  Monet’s garden was a favorite background, enjoyed by him, his wife, and their son Jean. Madame Monet is dressed in a pink muslin dress, partly in shade and dappled by sunlight passing through the branches. 

 

“Springtime” (1886) (26”x32’) was painted by Monet in his garden in Giverny. In an orchard of cherry trees, Monet’s 18-year-old step-daughter Suzanne Hoschede talks with his son Jean. The closeness of Monet with his family is evident in many of his paintings. Suzanne will become Monet’s second wife. 

This painting also demonstrates Monet’s advanced techniques in Impressionism. The integration of spring colors throughout the painting presents the viewer with a world filled with sunlight. His brushwork has become looser. The painting presents a field of sweet-smelling flowers, and the peace and comfort in the soft breeze of this spring day.

“Spring Bouquet” (1866) (41”x32”) (Fogg Museum, Harvard University) is an early work by Renoir. The Impressionist style of painting outdoors (en plein air) was a new direction that emphasized how sunlight gave flowers a transient beauty. The still-life with flowers was a tradition with 17th Century Dutch painters who worked inside without the natural light of the Sun. As a student, Renoir had studied Dutch still-lives. Early in his career he was a porcelain painter. He chose a white Japanese vase with blue flowers to hold the bouquet, a tradition of Dutch painters and in keeping with the very popular Japanism of the French at the time.   

Renoir’s arrangement is casual and bountiful. Purple lilacs, white hydrangeas, and peonies are included. White and purple iris are at the top of the bouquet. Daisies poke their heads out around the edges. Four bunches of yellow cowslips, or perhaps primroses, draw the eye around the composition and form the necessary complement to the purple flowers. 

Instead of the using the dark, almost black background of Dutch paintings, Renoir has set his spring bouquet against a lightly speckled stone wall and on a light stone garden ledge. The sunlight produces the nuance of colors as it touches various petals in the bouquet. The bouquet casts a light gray blue shadow. Whether one knows the flowers or not, the viewer experiences joy, and serenity.

HAPPY SPRING 

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Beverly Hall Smith was a professor of art history for 40 years. Since retiring to Chestertown with her husband Kurt in 2014, she has taught art history classes at WC-ALL and the Institute of Adult Learning, Centreville. An artist, she sometimes exhibits work at River Arts. She also paints sets for the Garfield Theater in Chestertown.