“PORTRAIT OF A YOUNG WOMAN”

The painting by Botticelli depicts the woman named Simonetta Vespucci, who is said to be the entire beauty of the 15th Century, commonly recognized as the real version of the Venus painted in Birth of Venus. This painting in particular is meant to be one of Botticelli’s most ‘idealized’ portraits of the series surrounding the woman and is majorly over sexualized with the appearance of her large bust and flowing hair. For painters to depict women with their hair long and flowing is a common Renaissance painting aspect of showing sexuality as it was improper at this time to have a woman pose with her hair down. The way the braids spread across her body and finish below her bust is also another element of how Botticelli has tried to eroticize the woman. Additionally, the woman is painted looking away from the viewer, which could be seen as her becoming even more attractive because it is a sign of being possibly unattainable within terms of the male gaze.

The lack of detail in the background of the portrait is evident of how the woman is meant to be of this high beauty and virtue and be the complete focus of the image. This idea is a very unique part of Botticelli’s work as most of his paintings and the ones I have studied throughout this project in particular, he places his figures in even more important architectural settings. But here, the woman is by herself and kept as the main focus.

I love this idea of how she is the real version of the nymph, Venus and how she has been painted with pearls and gold running throughout her hair. Pearls are always a symbolic element of the Renaissance period and an accessory or item that I always find myself being drawn back to in my own styling techniques. I especially am interested in this construction of a perfect woman and how it is used constantly throughout this historic period, maybe more so than many other movements. Although I have already depicted this concept in an earlier shoot, I think re-using the concept of examining beauty within my work would be beneficial to really highlight the importance of this notion throughout the Renaissance. Earlier on, I looked into deconstructing fashion through terms of my styling but maybe for this idea I could base it more on physical beauty standards instead and the techniques or motivations women have for representing themselves as their thought ‘best’ or ‘most beautiful’.