“The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli
At the time it was painted, “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli was shocking, because of its use of nudity when depicting the goddess. However, there are many art historians who believe that he was even more bold than that. Many believe that the seashell is supposed to symbolize female genitalia. Just like his work “Primavera”, there is some debate over the deeper meaning of “The Birth of Venus”, because there is no record written by Botticelli explaining his work. But many scholars believe that the two paintings were commissioned by the Medici family. It’s likely that there are more secrets hidden in this painting, if only we could figure out how to interpret it properly.