Venus is a goddess of nature, who thrives in verdant places. Artists commissioned to illustrate her landscapes were challenged, not only in rendering specific atmospheric qualities but also in portraying a green geography that would remain evergreen. Green pigments, in fact, posed many challenges to fifteenth-century Florentine artists. If not bound properly or if exposed to heat and moisture, these vivid powders could transmute into muddy browns or deep blacks. This talk explores the nature of the green pigments and their origins in copper. It pays particular attention to Sandro Botticelli’s use of green pigments in his Venus paintings. During the talk, a demonstration that transforms these two copper-based pigments into paint allows viewers to see the difficulties that fifteenth-century artists faced when painting the green geography of Venus’s landscapes.
Venus’s Verdant Virtues
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