Venus of Poetry
| Venus of Poetry | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Julio Romero de Torres |
| Year | 1913 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 93.2 cm × 154 cm (36.7 in × 61 in) |
| Location | |
Venus of Poetry (Spanish: La Venus de la poesía) is an oil painting by the Spanish artist Julio Romero de Torres, from 1913. It is held at the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum.[1]
History and description
This painting is an allegory that shows the portraits of the Spanish singer Raquel Meller and her future husband, the Guatemalan writer, Enrique Gómez Carrillo, both immersed in a rural landscape.[2]
The naked woman is lying on a bed with white sheets and wears a black lace mantilla on her head. Raquel, likened to the goddess Venus in the title of the work, looks at the viewer and smiles provocatively. Near her feet there is a rose, symbolizing beauty and passionate love. Carrillo holds a sheet of paper where the artist's signature is visible. In the background, at the center of the composition, can be seen a fountain and the Puente del Puente de Córdoba, a Renaissance-era gate, between two rows of trees. Further away, there is a river (the Guadalquivir) and the city of Córdoba.[3][4]
According to some experts, the main source of inspiration for this work was the painting Venus and the Music, by Titian.
References
- ↑ Museum of Fine Arts of Bilbao
- ↑ García de la Torre, F. (2008). Julio Romero de Torres, pintor (1874-1930) [Julio Romero de Torres, painter (1874-1930)] (in Spanish). Madrid, Spain: Arch/Books. p. 264. ISBN 978-84-7635-719-4.
- ↑ García de la Torre, F. (2008). Julio Romero de Torres, pintor (1874-1930) [Julio Romero de Torres, painter (1874-1930)] (in Spanish). Madrid, Spain: Arch/Books. p. 264. ISBN 978-84-7635-719-4.
- ↑ Francisco Zueras Torrent, Julio Romero de Torres, su vida y su mundo, Córdoba, Ayuntamiento, Delegación de Cultura, 1974 (Spanish)