Bernardino Luini, Venus, c. 1530 by Atelier Liesjes

About "Bernardino Luini, Venus, c. 1530"

by Atelier Liesjes

About the artwork

Venus, the Roman goddess of love, originally an Old Italian vegetation goddess, protector of gardens and vineyards, was later identified with the Greek Aphrodite.

A nearly naked woman with pale pink skin reclines along golden grass with a group of trees behind her on our right and a landscape with rocky cliffs along an undulating coastline on our left in this horizontal painting. Her legs extend to the left, and her body is facing us, with her hips stacked. Her left elbow, to our right, rests on a swell in the ground to lift her torso. She looks to our left with hazel brown eyes under weak, arched brows. Her skin is smooth and shadows blur the corners of her eyes and mouth. She has a straight, long nose and her pink-pink lips are closed. Her copper-brown hair is pulled back and up, wrapping around her head. A long, drop-shaped pearl hangs from the ear we can see. With both hands, she holds the ends of a translucent cloth wrapped around her hips, legs and over her back, leaving her round, high breasts visible. Ruby and white fabric lies in a heap by her feet, and an ornament of gold and pearls, perhaps a necklace, hangs over the swell in the ground at her propped up elbow. An aquamarine river separates her and the trees from the rocky outcrops and cities beyond. An arched bridge spans the river and leads to a path that winds along the undulating coastline.

Bernardino Luini (Runo, 1475/1482 - Milan, 1532) was an Italian Renaissance painter, one of the followers of Leonardo da Vinci in Lombardy and is said to have worked directly with him. He was specifically known for his gentle style, including graceful Madonnas with downcast eyes and lovely landscapes.