The Many Forms of Venus Anadyomene: A Discussion of Depictions of Aphrodite and Venus as Sea-Goddess
Date of Defense
Summer 7-1976
Department
Art
Keywords
Venus on a Half Shell, Greek deities, Roman deities, art history
Abstract
In this paper, the author discusses Greek and Roman representations of the goddess Aphrodite (Roman Venus) as she is represented in mythology as being born from the sea, drawing conclusions as to her history and character. Primarily considered are known works which take their theme as her affinity with the sea, some from the Classical age of Greece, and several from the Roman period, then proceed to the re-estimation of her visual re-creation by artists in the Italian Renaissance and in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Excluded are the countless images in which she is portrayed as the goddess of perfect feminine physical beauty, seductiveness, and procreation. The study is limited to the works which show her as prime deity of the sea.
Recommended Citation
Best, Margaret, "The Many Forms of Venus Anadyomene: A Discussion of Depictions of Aphrodite and Venus as Sea-Goddess" (1976). Honors Theses. 313.
https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/honors_theses/313
Access Setting
Honors Thesis-Campus Only