Lorenzo Lotto (Italian, Venetian, ca. 1480–1556)
Oil on canvas
"Venus and Cupid" by Lorenzo Lotto, is a painting that caught my attention a few years back while I was browsing the internet for...one reason or another, the actually reason escapes me haha.
But what intrigues me the most about the work is the history behind it. After a bit of research I found out that the crown that Venus is wearing is actually a Venetian Tiara worn by brides during the Italian Renaissance, which ultimately (after a bit more reading) led to the understanding that this painting was created as a "visual equivalent of a poetic epithalamium, or marriage poem." That is, that Venus is seen here playing the role as the Venetian bride, blessed with the gift of fertility by Cupid (his urinating on her alone is a symbol of male virility and female fertility ^.^). What a compliment this must've been to all those Italian brides when this painting was first unveiled!
Other things I noticed in this painting that contributed to the marriage symbolism are the main three colors that catch the eye in the picture: red, blue and white.
Red and blue seem to be the opposing colors, that is red is a warm and passionate color (possibly a salute to Eros) while blue is a more calm, cool color, and the ripples in the fabric are reminiscent of the sea, which of course is a very strong connection to Venus as She was born of the sea, a point emphasized by the conch shell dangling above the head of the lovely goddess.
I find these two colors very interesting because of how Venus interacts with them in the painting. Her skin seems to be alabaster white, glowing almost, seeming to be pure and virginal which matches up exactly with the historical character She is portraying.
I noticed a snake slithering around underneath her. I'm not sure what that is supposed to signify exactly, but my mind automatically went to temptation and the creation myth in the Bible. Also the flower petals which I'm going to say are...light pink? that are sprinkled around her on her lap... as well as re-emphasizing the idea of fertility due to their placement, if I am right about the color, than the petals also symbolizes marriage or..love rather.
*Pink = Red + White*, and red to me symbolizes passion, lust, and physical love (at least in this painting), while white again symbolizes purity. So what does our equation give us then? Pure love :)
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