Primavera, Detail of Venus, by Sandro Botticelli

La Primavera (Spring), detail of Venus and Flora, by Sandro Botticelli, tempera painting on wood panel c. 1482, depicts a complex, mythological allegory of Spring against a background of an orange grove and detailed plant life. Venus and Flora are among a procession of ancient gods who herald the coming spring, symbolizing the era of rebirth and renewal that was the Renaissance. Primavera in its elegant classical figures, details of costume, foliage and flowers, and complex composition forms one of the iconic images of Western art.<. Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) was a Florentine painter of the of the early Italian Renaissance who apprenticed under the master Filippo Lippi. With strong Gothic influences, the mature work of Botticelli reflected a study of antique classical sculpture and was noted for its linear grace and rhythm, flattened relief-like forms with strong contours, and subtle coloring. The complexity of meanings in Botticelli’s compositions, from sources drawn from classical antiquity, mythology and philosophy, enthralled scholars for centuries.