Around 1470 -1495 · Florence, identity and humanist line

Botticelli gives young Florentines a clear and meditative presence, where the outline, the clothing and the look construct a new identity.

Botticelli's portraits of young men belong to the development of individual portraiture in Quattrocento Florence. The painter gradually abandons the strict profile to place the model almost three-quarters of a front. This orientation establishes a more direct relationship with the viewer and allows the gaze to become the main place of expression. The background often remains bare, while the precise outline detaches the face, hair and clothing. In the Portrait of a Young Man Holding a Medallion, the hands present an ancient or sacred effigy at the center of the composition. The gesture thus links personal identity, family memory and culture humanist. Despite the sobriety of the accessories, each portrait balances social status, ideal of beauty and contained melancholy - this expressive reserve which makes Botticelli's figures immediately recognizable. The "Young Men by Sandro Botticelli" selection notably compares Portrait of a Young Man and Portrait of a Young Man. His reading favors light.

At Botticelli, the line gives the young face its dignity while the look retains its secret.