The rebirth of Botticelli

Above: Andy Warhol's Pop art version of Botticelli's Birth of Venus - Details of Renaissance Paintings, 1984

A flash of red auburn hair captures our eye as we take in the Rediscovery section of Botticelli Reimagined - the Pre-Raphaelites response to the artistic legacy of Sandro Botticelli. Botticelli's romantic aesthetic is captured in Dante Gabriel Rossetti's La Ghirlandata (1873), in Edward Burne-Jones' The Mill: Girls Dancing to Music by a River (1870-82) and William Morris' The Orchard (1890) tapestry. 

Inspiration can come from many places, though sometimes we stumble upon a gem such as this exhibition, where colour, myths and legends are curated into EJS perfection! 

The V & A's exhibit is split into three major sections. The first is Global, Modern, Contemporary where the influence from The Birth of Venus is evident in the Andy Warhol's Details of Renaissance Paintings (Sandro Botticelli, Birth of Venus, 1482)(1984) and the composition for David LaChapelle's Rebirth of Venus (2009). Surrealist René Margritte describes his painting Le bouquet tout fait (1957) as 'Primavera by Botticelli on a man with a bowler hat seen from behind'. When he saw the original Primavera painting he said, 'It's not bad, but it's better on a postcard'. I'm afraid we'd have to disagree with you there René! 

The Rediscovery section showcases the Pre-Raphaelite responses during the mid-19th century, and finally Botticelli in his Own Time, featuring work by his workshop and the artist himself. Highlights include the exquisitely detailed Pallas and the Centaur (1482) which is in London for the first time.