Sandro Botticelli

Now, I may perhaps be an uncultured savage, and you can call me one until you turn blue in the face, but there’s one thing about art…I can’t get into it unless I can see what it’s meant to be.
Perhaps I’m spoilt, but I grew up in an age of photo-perfect CG art – it’s what I’m used to. That doesn’t mean that I don’t like the other stuff – nobody can call Monet photo-perfect – but I love the crystalline ones, the ones where every detail is in place.

Which is why I like Sandro Botticelli.

The Birth of Venus. Exquisite, isn’t it? There’s a reason it’s a classic, you know.

Detail from the Birth of Venus. Notice the expression in her eyes. Also, the detail of her hair.

I think this one took some damage somewhere. See the detail on the skirts and on their feet?
Also, the orange is a simply lovely shade – it seems to glow from within.

I wonder if I can make my hair like that?

Do you see why I love Botticelli?

Monet

The reason I like Monet is this: He shows the world the way I see it when I take my glasses off.

People do strange things for religion, don’t they?

We kill each other, and castrate each other, and strap bombs to our bodies to low up our enemies…and then we create this:

And this

The presence of God, real or imaginary, no matter what you call him, has the capacity to bring out the very best and the very worst in human beings.

The most beautiful poem I ever read was in the name of God. And so was the worst atrocity.

Is it just me, or is the Dragon not all that big?

St. George and the Dragon by Raphael.
Finished in 1506.
Image Source: Wikipedia

Seriously, it’s about half the size of St.George’s horse.

Plus, it looks a little bit like a dog. It’s like an angry Rottweiler with scales and wings.