Hermes

Sandro Botticelli, La Primavera 1482, Uffizi Gallery Florence, Italy

GRACE:

This paper analyses Botticelli’s mysterious La Primaveria as a painting symbolic of transformation and metamorphosis. Botticelli’s "allegory of spring" is acknowledged as a mythological riddle, a piece without a single interpretation and whose mysteriousness has sustained La Primavera as one of the most notable paintings in Western art. This Post-classical painting tells a story that is not Christian. Instead, it depicts an orange grove with six mythological figures: the God Hermes, the Three Graces, Cupid, Aphrodite, the nymph Chloris and her transformation into Flora, and the God Zephyrus. The piece's origin has yet to be entirely known. However, it is speculated that the powerful Medici family of Renaissance Italy commissioned this work as a wedding gift for Lorenzo di Pierfranceso de' Medici, thus, perhaps explaining Botticelli’s detailed portrayal of metamorphosis (The Art Story). The spring season, the painting's namesake, symbolizes change and celebration. The essence of Spring is apparent throughout the painting, with the myriad flowers and blossoming trees. In Spring, death is renewed into life. The vibrant nature of Spring is associated with powerful shifts and new beginnings. Similarly, the act of marriage marks a significant transition, eternally uniting two individuals and ushering in a new era, a transformation on the path of life. Whether or not the painting was commissioned to represent a Medici marriage, many aspects of La Primavera nonetheless emphasize metamorphosis and change. In addition to the main subject of the painting being the changing of the seasons into Spring, the transformation pattern is also evident in the nymph Chloris’ transition into a goddess through marriage. Her metamorphosis from nymph to goddess is clearly illustrated in the painting, making the central theme of change apparent.

Hermes, our selected divinity, plays a role in understanding the pattern of transformation in La Primavera. Hermes, the "messenger of the gods," is distinguished by his mythological attributes. He wears his winged sandals and helmet and grips his caduceus. He holds his caduceus towards the approaching storm clouds, perhaps attempting to keep these clouds at bay; he is the usher allowing Winter to shift to Spring. In La Primavera, Hermes' image is on the far left of the canvas. In ancient Greece, Hermes statues, Herms, were used as boundary markers (Morford, Lenardon). Hermes is the boundary crosser of ancient Greek mythology; his placement on the far left of the painting situates him as the border between the seasons. He marks the distance between the old and the new. In myth, Hermes is also symbolic of the junction of boy and man. In the Homeric hymn to Hermes, Hermes' story illustrates the male “coming of age” as he acts immaturely in the beginning only to mature and thus transform into a responsible brother and son (Morford, Lenardon). Hermes represents a young man's shift into adulthood, a metamorphosis in man's life. Hermes' symbolism concerning the transformation of boyhood to manhood is perhaps one of the reasons Botticelli included the god in his painting for the Medici marriage; the transition and responsibility into manhood through matrimony. Hermes symbolizes this, as perhaps Chloris is representative of his bride (Morford, Lenardon).

One of the best-known works of art of the Florentine Renaissance, La Primavera can be understood as archetypal of metamorphosis. The inclusion of divinity and boundary marker Hermes, the portrayal of the Spring season, and the transformation of the nymph Chloris into a goddess through marriage fashions La Primavera as an allegory to the subject of change.

JULIUS:

In this paper the reader will be introduced to Sandro Botticelli’s piece La Primavera, along with my own personal opinion on the piece and how it portrays Hermes/Mercury. Structurally this essay will be broken into two body paragraphs along with a conclusion. In order from these are the topics of each body paragraph: Introduction to the piece itself & background on Hermes, and a brief personal analysis of the piece and Hermes. The entire purpose of this essay is to give the reader a breakdown of La Primavera and how it charactirizes Hermes, as well as what we can takeaway from the piece.

Here will be somewhat of a historical introduction of La Primavera, to start the paintings name translates to the spring in english. The painting was created by Botticelli approximately between the late 1470’s and early 1480’s during the Italian renaissance. La Primavera showcases Venus as it’s central figure, the setting is also Venus’s garden. Other characters in the painting include the three graces, Zephyr (god of wind), Chloris, Flora, Cupid (son of Venus), and obviously Hermes which is where our focus is aimed. Moreover, Hermes son of Zeus & Maia is the god of thieves and trickery. Of course these are not the only realms that he is known to be god of but are the main two that are mentioned in Chapter 12 of the textbook. The textbook mentions that Hermes holds lots of similarities to his brother Apollo who he also stole cattle from. Hermes comes off as a very methodical and capable but also a trickster by nature.

Personally I think that this piece can be interpreted a million different ways and none of them would be wrong. The incorporation of each individual down to the very small details this painting gives one lots to the think about. When it comes to Hermes we see him with a stick in hand pushing away some clouds. Initially I felt that this was a show of his great power being able to keep the garden in an uninterrupted state. His stance also gives of the feeling that this action is effortless almost to the point of boredom. Although, in an unbothered posture and seeming to be in a world of his own Hermes plays an integral part to the chemistry of the entire painting.

Overall, Botticelli’s painting depicts Hermes in a very non-chalant and effortless way that sticks true to his depiction within the textbook. From this painting I was able to see the interpretation of Hermes from the Italian renaissance but also alongside other entities & characters relevant to mythology.

Citations:

Morford, Mark P. O., Robert J. Lenardon, and Michael Sham.

Classical Mythology. Tenth edition. Oxford ; Oxford University Press, 2014.

“Sandro Botticelli Paintings, Bio, Ideas.” The Art Story