In ancient Greek and Roman mythology, Venus was the goddess in charge of everything and a symbol of love and beauty. Because the legend about the goddess Venus has entrusted people with some beautiful wishes and ideals in reality, Venus has become a common theme in western literature and art in the past dynasties, and it is also a creative theme that artists are never tired of. From the famous ancient Greek human sculpture "Venus with a Broken Arm" to14 ~16th century Renaissance, to19th century, many oil paintings and other works of art about Venus were produced. Venus at her mirror is one of the representative works.
So what are the interesting stories in the painting venus at her mirror?
Interesting fact 1: venus at her mirror experienced many twists and turns before and after its founding.
Velazquez (1599- 1660) was the greatest painter in Spain in the 7th century. At the age of 24, he became the chief painter of Xibanshi Palace, and his excellent painting skills won the trust of King Philip IV. Because the Spanish church banned nude oil painting at that time, Velazquez only created portrait oil painting and landscape oil painting for a long time.
1632, Velazquez met Rubens, the master of baroque oil painting. Under the strong recommendation of Rubens, Velazquez came to Italy, the holy land of oil painting at that time, to travel and study for a year. The works of Renaissance masters opened his eyes, and he was also eager to create a human oil painting based on ancient Greek mythology.
After returning from Italy, Velá zquez reported what he had seen, heard and thought to the king, with the acquiescence of Philip IV. Next, Velá zquez stayed in the studio for three months, refusing anyone to visit, and finally created the classic venus at her mirror handed down from generation to generation. However, this painting was attacked and questioned by the church forces. Thanks to the king's protection, Velazquez was protected from persecution. But at that time, this painting could only be used for personal collection and could not be exhibited in public. It was not opened to the outside world until after the19th century. This painting is now in the National Museum in London, England.
Interesting fact 2: venus at her mirror is very different from previous paintings about Venus.
Before venus at her mirror, there were many paintings about Venus, including Botticelli's Spring, The Birth of Venus, giorgione's Sleeping Venus, Titian's Venus of Urbino and so on. Venus in these works is either decorated with flowers, set off by gorgeous backgrounds or set off by other characters, but venus at her mirror in Velazquez has no flowers.
In the picture, the goddess Venus lies on her back on a wooden bed with a blue-gray mattress, with her back to the picture, showing the unique rhythmic body curve beauty of young women. In front of Venus, Cupid holds a mirror with a blue ribbon, reflecting Venus' beautiful and melancholy face.
Velazquez said that the beauty of Venus needs no embellishment, decoration or foil.
Interesting fact 3: Painting "venus at her mirror" has rich meanings.
For example, Venus reflected in the mirror has a melancholy expression, which means that many young women were unable to make their own decisions on marriage and love because of the shackles of feudal religious theology. The blue satin hanging on the mirror refers to the imprisonment of religious theocracy. Venus is lying on the bed with her back to the picture, indicating that the desire of human nature is suppressed. Wait a minute.
Of course, these stories mentioned above may not be called "interesting" stories, but they illustrate the difficulty of creating this painting and its rich ideological and emotional connotation.