Description
Primavera (which means "first green" in Latin, although there is precious little green in this painting) Botticelli chooses to tell the story of spring as the season of romantic attraction. The action of the scene flows from right to left with Venus in the center presiding over everything, like a motion picture director over a shot or the conductor of an orchestra over a performance. On the right is the first cameo: the frightened nymph Chloris is pursued by Zephyr, god of winds (that blow in the new season of spring). Zephyr's blue/green coloring presumably represents the element air, but also the chill of winter and so connects the current scene to the one which came before. Zephyr is overcome by attraction to Chloris' beauty. Beside Chloris is the goddess Flora, whom Chloris is soon to be transformed into, according to Ovid Flora is pregnant and scatters flower petals as symbols of fecundity. Buyenlarge
