Greek Gods

There are Greek mythology pictures or paintings on many urns or pots as well as wall paintings today. There are many replicas being manufactured today of the real artwork which has been preserved over the years. You can find sculptures or art work of your favorite Greek god or goddess, or hero which is written about in the Greek myths.

The earliest known writing on art which can be classified, as art history, is the passages in Pliny the Elder’s Natural History. These passages are about the development of sculptures and painting. It is believed by some that Xenokrates of Sicyon, who was a Greek sculptor, may have been the first art historian.

With the exception of vase paintings, none of the early historical Greek paintings or sculptures survived over the years. There have been some pieces of these art works and they are in museums. It is from these that the ideas have come from to produce the new Greek replicas found today. Even the fragments that are in the museums are actually Roman copies of the Greek works. There are no Greek pieces left thus far. Maybe in the future Archeologists will find some. Much of the paintings were painted on the walls of the temples and other buildings and the buildings have not survived. The pieces of Roman art which was found was not found until after 1500. There had been a volcano eruption and the lava had entombed the artifacts. These pieces were found in Pompeii.

Botticelli painted several pieces of Venus and dedicated them to the goddess. After La Primavera is the Birth or Rebirth of Venus. He painted her as a nude female and this was forbidden territory for a painter at the time. Venus is reborn in Italy and the results has sent shockwaves through aristocratic Europe.

Mythology became a justification for Renaissance artists and they could paint with a new freedom which had been denied them by Christianity Before Botticelli developed his themes the Christian monk named Savanarola got in power in Florence with his fire and brimstone sermons. He urged everyone to burn their pagan works. His campaign almost destroyed the greatest city of art in Europe. The monk’s own followers believed him to be too fanatical and would not do as he told them. Even the Pope ordered him excommunicated and burnt in the town square.

Botticelli never did get up the nerve after that to continue with his art of the nude goddesses, etc. He painted apples, or Christian apocalyptic pictures instead. He is famous for his painting of the Mystical Nativity and the Mystical Crucifixion. The 3 greatest artists who ever came from Florence were Leonardo, Michelangelo, and Raphael.