ExhibitionFeaturedFilmReview

Botticelli’s Primavera

Reviewer: Helen Tope

Writer and Director: Howard Burton

A deep-dive into one of the great images of the Renaissance, Botticelli’s Primavera is a documentary with a singular aim.

Primavera has long been the subject of scholarly debate: even the date of the painting was questionable. Using the latest research, the film’s creator Howard Burton encourages us to look afresh at one of the world’s most ubiquitous paintings. Taking the artwork, section by section, Burton acts as cultural code-breaker. We are introduced to the painting’s central characters: Mercury. Cupid, The Three Graces, Flora and Venus herself. We also get a crash course in classical mythology. Burton deploys a huge amount of scholarly detail, but he never loses sight of the fact that he is addressing a non-scholarly audience. No previous knowledge is assumed: you are in safe hands here.

As the film breaks down the layers of meaning within the painting, and even how it came to be (it was a very fancy wedding gift for a member of the de Medici clan), the image becomes that much clearer. Crucially, the documentary goes into depth on the period Botticelli was working in. Our ideas about marriage – romantic, individualistic – would seem foreign to Botticelli’s client base. The painting, encouraging a ‘Springtime’ of growth and fertility, speaks of marriages as political and financial alliances. In an inspired moment, Burton points out that this is probably why the Venus in Primavera is more “matron than temptress”. Marriage, in an uncertain world, becomes a serious business. It is a reminder of the importance of seeing art from its own perspective.

Burton highlights how Primavera would have been a very modern image on its first display. It not only features contemporary jewellery: to be worn by Gods and mortals alike; Burton intriguingly refers to Botticelli as a “visual poet”. The classical themes featured in the painting would have been the height of fashion in the late fifteenth century. The realist touches of Botticelli’s art – the foliage in the garden, for example – sits side by side with more ancient, lyrical flourishes. The choice of these particular mythological characters and their relationship to each other goes back to the poetry of Ovid, Seneca, Virgil and Plutarch.

The film steadily reveals more meanings, but it is the decision to go low-tech on the presentation of this material that works in the documentary’s favour. Deliberately side-stepping the high production values of art history film-makers such as Exhibition on Screen, here we are given static images with Burton’s voice-over. It’s a smart choice, as it means the viewer isn’t bombarded: Burton has a great deal to disseminate, and anything more would have felt overwhelming.

This is a film that melds art-history with detective work: Botticelli’s Primavera is a masterclass in analysing Renaissance art: even the smallest detail can offer up clues, if you know what to look for. In terms of its style, it’s strictly no-frills, but what you get instead is a wealth of insider knowledge. A trip to the art gallery will never be the same again.

Botticelli’s Primavera is released by Ideas Roadshow on 31 January.

The Reviews Hub Score:

No frills needed

Show More
Photo of The Reviews Hub - Film

The Reviews Hub - Film

The Reviews Hub Film Team is under the editorship of Maryam Philpott.

Related Articles

One Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button
The Reviews Hub