The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticello is the most famous work of the Florentine painter. Completed around 1480, the painting is today exhibited at the Ufizzi in Florence. This tempura painting on canvas is large: 5'8" X 9'1" (Janson and Janson 443) and reflects the artistic and philosophical trends of its time. Painted on the dividing line between the Middle Ages and the Italian Renaissance, the subject and style of the painting are influenced by a developing and transitioning aesthetic. Botticelli or Alessandro di Mariano Filipepi was born into an upper-middle-class family of four sons in the parish of Ognissanti in 1445 ("Botticelli"). There are several stories as to why the family name may have become Botticelli. Anyway, it is known that Sandro Botticello was raised by an older brother in a family of successful people (“Botticelli”). Botticello soon achieved success as a painter under the tutelage of Fra Filippo Lippi (wga). During his time at Lippi and in the years that followed working in his own studio, Botticello developed a style that "revives certain elements of the Gothic style – a delicate feeling, sometimes bordering on sentimentality, a grace feminine and an emphasis on ornamentation. and the evocative capacities of the line” (wga). In his art, Botticelli was truly a Florentine of his time as he spent his entire life minus a year in Rome where he worked at the Sistine Chapel (“Botticelli”). Additionally, the subject matter of his art was influenced by the social and philosophical atmosphere established in Florence by the famous Medici family. Botticelli enjoyed a close relationship with this family at the height of its influence on the social and political atmosphere of Florence (Janson and Jans...... middle of paper ......this. However, in In the 1490s, the Medici family fell into disgrace in Florence. A monk named Girolamo Savonarola became very popular. The monk spoke out against the excesses of Florentine life and the vices that. were attached to it ("Botticelli") It is unclear whether or not Botticelli agreed with Savonarola's teachings; however, his later works focus on more Christian subjects with traditional themes (Janson and Janson 444). ). Works Cited “Botticelli: Biography April 6, 2006. http: //www.myrrhine.net/botticelli/biography.html “Botticelli, Sandro” Web Gallery of Art, April 6, 2006. http://www.wga. hu/bio/b/botticel/biography.html Gombrich, E. H. The History of Art New York: Oxford University Press, 1966. Janson, H. W. and Anthony F. Janson History of Art (5th edition). New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1997.