Botticelli was also known for painting such a large-scale work depicting characters from mythology with no religious subject. Considering this is out of the Christianity faith, as nudity is being portrayed, Birth of Venus is lucky to survive the 1497 bonfire that sought to destroy all items, especially art that were seen as a temptation to sin. These essential readings of Botticelli's Birth of Venus should not exclude a more purely …show more content…
The colours used and proportion in this painting has been refined by Botticelli, making it less realistic and much more magical. The clam shell can be seen less intrigued so as to not divert viewer’s attention on it too much when the focal point should be on Venus. However, in some interpretations, the shell that Venus stands on could be the representation of the female genitalia. Even though one may not have the direct meaning of the clam shell, it is quite clear that it is a symbol to birth. Here, the clam shell creates a birthing scene which reflects the oceanic origin of Venus while connecting symbolically to human birth – the woman’s