Birth Of Venus- Sandro Botticelli

Read and watch the relevant materials (all listed below) and to write up a short essay-response (2-3 pages, 12pt double-space), answering some of
the following questions:
• What are the roles of the iconic works of art in the contemporary pop culture?
• When these works of art are completely taken out of their original context – and used (or abused?) in newly created context(s) – does that take away
from our understanding of these pieces?
• Does their use in advertisements and references to in pop culture testify to the popularity of the work?
o Can this be considered an homage? Or should this be perceived as mockery?
• What kind of audience do you think these pop culture references and advertisements are aimed at?
o Does one have to possess at least rudimentary understanding of what Michelangelo’s David or Botticelli’s Birth of Venus are, i.e. when and why
they were created, what they meant to their contemporaries etc.?
o In order for the advertisement and/or the reference to be more effective, does one have to recognize that work of art or not?
• This is NOT a research paper. This should be a write up of your thoughts on the subject, informed by what you (thus far) have learned in class and
have read/learned through the relevant documentaries and articles.
• Your essay must be typed, double-spaced, and checked for grammar and spelling errors. Clarity of expression is very important and might impact
your grade. Reading your essay aloud to yourself is a very efficacious method for detecting grammatical errors and awkward phrasing.
Please watch the following documentary on the painting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l9ZIJOX0Jjo
Please read the following article (with several embedded videos):
https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-botticellis-birth-venus-pop-culture