There has been much discussion in the forum about the birth of Aphrodite, taking as a starting point the account in the Hesiodic Theogony, after Kronos cuts off the genitals of his father Ouranos:
But the genitals, as after first severing them with the steel, he had cast them into the heaving sea from the continent, 190 so kept drifting long time up and down the deep, and all around kept rising a white foam from the immortal flesh; and in it a maiden was nourished; first she drew near divine Kythera, and thence came next to wave-washed Cyprus. Then forth stepped an awesome, beauteous goddess; and beneath her delicate feet the grass throve around: 195 gods and men name her Aphrodite, the foam-sprung goddess, and fair-wreathed Kytherea—the first because she was nursed in foam, but Kytherea, because she touched at Kythera; and Cyprus-born, because she was born in wave-dashed Cyprus; 200 and lover of smiles, because she emerged out of the genitals. And Eros accompanied her and fair Desire followed her, when first she was born, and came into the host of the gods. And from the beginning this honor has she, and this part has she obtained by lot among men and immortal gods, 205 the amorous converse of maidens, their smiles and wiles, their sweet delights, their love, and blandishment.
Hesiodic Theogony 188–206, translated by J. Banks, adapted by Gregory Nagy[1]
The subject of the birth of Aphrodite or Venus has always been a favorite in artwork, both ancient and modern.
Despite the Hesiodic version where she emerges from the foam and the male genitals of Ouranos, Aphrodite (or Venus) has sometimes been depicted in the visual arts as emerging from a shell, which may be a representation of the female genitals.[2]
This Gallery incorporates a selection of artworks taking the “Birth of Aphrodite/Venus” as its subject. Since the goddess represents desire and physical attraction, and given the way the female form has often been objectified and sexualized, it is perhaps not surprising she has often been depicted nude, an object of the (heterosexual) “male gaze.”—and sometimes with other naked female figures for good measure. The images form an indication of what was considered the idealized female form at different periods.
I was wondering how her birth might be represented visually in a way that does not objectify women. Some of the more recent artworks take a more stylized or abstract approach to the subject.
Notes
[1] Hesiodic Theogony 1–115 Translated by Gregory Nagy, 116–1022 Translated by J. Banks and adapted by Gregory Nagy.
[2] Wikipedia article on “Venus Anadyomene.”
Texts accessed June 2021.
Image credits
Vessel in the shape of Aphrodite inside a shell. First quarter of 4th century BCE.
Photo: Joanbanjo Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. via Wikimedia Commons
Statue of Venus Anadyomene. 117 CE.
Photo: Carole Raddato. Creative Commons BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr
Vénus de Courtrai. c 100–300 CE.
Photo: Romaine. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license via Wikimedia Commons
Sandro Botticelli. c 1485. The Birth of Venus
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Titian. 1520. Venus Anadyomene.
Photo: Perledarte. Creative Commons BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr
Nicolas Poussin. 1635/36. The Birth of Venus
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Cornelis de Vos. 1636–1638. The Birth of Venus
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Nöel-Nicolas Coypel. 1732. Birth of Venus
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Jean-Baptiste Marie Pierre (attributed). 18th century. The Birth of Venus
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
James Barry (1741–1806). Etching: The Birth of Venus
Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported)
via Tate
Jean-Honoré Fragonard. c 1753–1755. The Birth of Venus
Photo: Robert Valette. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International, 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic and 1.0 Generic license.
Heinrich Keller. c 1799. The Birth of Venus.
Photo: Regan Vercruysse. Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr
Walter Crane. 1840. The Renaissance of Venus.
Creative Commons CC-BY-NC-ND (3.0 Unported)
via Tate
According to the description on the Tate’s website, the artist’s wife encouraged him to use a male model for the figure of Venus!
Alexandre Cabanel. 1863. The Birth of Venus.
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Henri Gervex. 1863. The Birth of Venus.
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Arnold Böcklin. 1872. Venus Anadyomene
Photo: Lluís Ribes Mateu. Creative Commons BY-NC 2.0 via Flickr
Fritz Zuber-Buhler. 1877. Birth of Venus
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Zuber-Buhler_Birth_of_Venus.JPG
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
William-Adolphe Bouguereau. 1879. The Birth of Venus
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
William Stott of Oldham. 1887. The Birth of Venus.
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Ivan Ayvazovsky. 1887. The birth of Aphrodite
Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons
Antoine Bourdelle. 1900. The Birth of Aphrodite.
Photo: A. Davey. Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr
Ödön Moriet, c. 1912 Venus Anadyomené
Photo: BriYYZ. Creative Commons BY-SA 2.0 via Flickr
monkeywing. 2007. Birth of Venus
Creative Commons BY 2.0 via Flickr
Hartwig KHD. 2009. Birth of Venus
Creative Commons BY-ND 2.0 via Flickr
Eddi van W. 2009. Birth of Venus.
Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr
Rjabinnik and Rounien. 2009. Birth of Venus. Felt sculpture.
Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr
just1snap. 2011. Birth of Venus
Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 2.0 via Flickr
sammydavisdog. 2012. The birth of Venus.
Creative Commons BY 2.0 via Flickr
jaci XIII. 2019. “The born of Venus”
Public domain, via Flickr
Images accessed June 2021.
Next Gallery: More Strange Births