Medici Venus Essay

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The Medici Venus is the common name applied to the Aphrodite statue that has been essentially copied from the Praxiteles form. The Aphrodite housed by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is a famous example of the form: armless (because they have broken off, not because the statue was designed that way), Aphrodite is depicted as emerging from the sea which is symbolized by the small dolphin at her feet (the sea creature also doubles as a support for the standing Aphrodite). The marble statue of Aphrodite in the Met hails from the Imperial Roman period and was likely chiseled in the 1st or 2nd century AD. Standing at a height of 62 ½ inches (including the plinth upon which the Aphrodite is situated), the statue is a life-size replica of the Greek statue by Praxiteles, who was the first artist of antiquity to depict the goddess in the nude form (The Met). Because of its iconic imagery and recognizable features throughout the world, the marble statue of Aphrodite was selected for this analysis so as to provide an opportunity to examine this well-known piece more closely.

The marble statue of Aphrodite is of a light color: its material is of white stone all the way around, from head to toe, the entire composition being of one piece. The body of the Aphrodite is erect, with the right leg slightly bent on the knee, giving the Aphrodite its sensuous appeal in much the same way a model of today might bend the knee and incline the leg slightly inward.

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As the goddess of love, it is highly appropriate that the statue of Venus should be show the goddess exhibiting this sort of profile.

The head of the Aphrodite is turned to her left, giving the viewer a perfect side profile of the face. While the nose has been lost, the face’s smooth, curved, rounded and soft features give the impression of a goddess is so kind, loving, graceful, delicate, and content: her mirthful lips are slightly pursed and turned upwards and the tilt of her body is forward so that if one views the statue from the side, one sees what appears to be Aphrodite hunched at the shoulders as though stepping out of the water where she has been bathing. The expression on her face and the turn of her head suggests that she has been spied by someone. Though the Aphrodite’s arms are missing in the Met’s copy, the Medici Venus is typically depicted as covering her breasts and mons pubis out of a sense of modesty—though her face gives not the least subtle suggestion of embarrassment at being caught in the middle of her bath. On the contrary, the eyes, cheeks and upward lift of the lips, which indicate a self-possessed smile give the viewer the impression that, as the goddess of love, she is perfectly happy and content to inspire adoration from those who have the pleasure of seeing her. For modesty’s sake, however, the Medici….....

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