Giorgione was a great Italian painter and he was famous for the elusive poetic quality of his work. Moreover, he is regarded as one of the most mysterious figures in European painting. He died at the age of 32, but had a far-reaching impact on the 16th century Venetian school of painting. The contemporary humanism scholar Castiglione considered him a most great painter as Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo and Raphael.
Sleeping Venus
Among his few paintings known to the public, Sleeping Venus is the most famous one. It was finished by Titian. Venus in this work demonstrates the beauty of the nature without any characteristics of religious goddess: Venus sleeps before the natural scenery. Her body is beautiful and gentle stretching well-proportioned, and interactive with nature. This is not to stimulate people's sensual sensory, but in order to show the integral beauty of the flesh and pure soul. This kind of creation is full of the beauty of human spirit, which is in line with the ideal of "beauty" of Renaissance.
The protagonist of the painting Sleeping Venus is undoubtedly Venus, but obviously the painter did not mean to create the image of a Goddess, but to depict a beautiful and real woman in the name of Goddess. This woman has a plump, supple skin and smooth, elegant lines, also relaxation and natural posture. Such mundane beauty has been placed in the context of the natural beauty, resulting in harmonious unify and art sublimation. Although it is a secular fun, but very elegant, and the human body and the background form a harmonious echoes and striking contrast. Everything subtly makes up a beautiful, comfortable, cozy and quiet visual picture.
The painter attempts to make the nature as an important part of body beauty. The silent and natural scenery matches perfectly with the sleeping Venus We do not know whether is Venus integrated into the embrace of nature or the nature into the dreams of Venus. The whole picture is almost perfect, especially the gesture of the Goddess. Giorgione is the first painter to paint Venus of this kind, which greatly influenced artists later, such as Titian, Goya, Manet and many others.
