1445 -1510 · Florence, Medici and Poetic Renaissance

Venus, Madonnas, portraits and sacred stories take the form of a world governed by line, grace and deep melancholy in Sandro Botticelli.

Alessandro di Mariano di Vanni Filipepi, known as Sandro Botticelli, was born in Florence in 1445 and died there in 1510. Trained with Filippo Lippi, he assimilated very early the softness of faces, the clarity of the outline and the movement of draperies. His workshop was established in the Florence of Lorenzo de Medici, where religious commissions, portraits and humanist culture met. Called to Rome in 1481, Botticelli participated in the decor of the Sistine Chapel before returning to Florence. Called to Rome in 1481, Botticelli participated in the decor of the Sistine Chapel before returning to Florence. Called to Rome in 1481, Botticelli participated in the decor of the Sistine Chapel before returning to Florence. Called to Rome in 1481, Botticelli participated in the decor of the Sistine Chapel before returning to Florence. Called to Rome in 1481, Botticelli participated in the decor of the Sistine Chapel before returning to Florence. Called to Rome in 1481, Botticelli participated in the decor of the Sistine Chapel before returning to Florence. Called to Rome in fluid. Venus and Mars transform the contrast between waking love and sleeping war into a scene that is both elegant and ironic. The Annunciation of Cestello organizes the meeting of Gabriel and Mary around a diagonal of gestures, a perspective floor and a distant landscape. Botticelli paints mainly in tempera on wood and also practices frescoes and drawing, particularly for the illustrations of the Divine Comedy. In his late works, the rhythm becomes more tense and the fresco and drawing are also practiced, particularly for the illustrations of the Divine Comedy. In his late works, the rhythm becomes more tense and the religious fervor more visible. Rediscovered forcefully in the 19th century, he is today one of the symbols of the Renaissance, but his art remains singular: less attached to monumental volume than to expressive power of the outline. The "Sandro Botticelli" selection notably compares The Birth of Venus and Spring. His reading favors the material.

In Botticelli, the contour does not hold the figure: it extends its breath into the hair, hands, fabrics and landscape.