Annotated Bibliography
Berger, John. “Publicity.” In Ways of Seeing, 129-155. London: New York: BBC and Penguin Books, 1972. https://www.ways-of-seeing.com/ch7 (accessed Feb. 23, 2019)
This source informs readers about the impacts of publicity in today’s society. Berger writes about how advertisement is dependent on the past to sell the future, while focusing on what people desire. I think it will be useful to my paper because I’m focusing on why Birth of Venus is still relevant today and this chapter gives an explanation as to why older artworks are still used in today’s visual culture. I find this source very interesting, but its reliability is questionable, as it is very conceptual and not factual. But I do feel like the psychological reasons mentioned will be able to help prove why the painting is still referenced in advertisement today.
Botticelli, Sandro. “Birth of Venus,” 1485. Tempera on canvas, 172. 5 x 278.5 cm. Uffizi Gallery, Florence, Italy. https://www.uffizi.it/en/artworks/birth-of-venus (accessed Feb. 23, 2019).
This is the original painting that I am referencing throughout my research paper. It will act as a visual aid when describing the painting compared to modern interpretations. It will be very useful because readers would not be able to fully understand my paper without seeing it. I love this painting. I was inspired to write about it because I was so drawn to it and I want to figure out why it is still so popular. The website that includes the photo of the painting is very reliable because that is where it’s located, so they must have an accurate photograph.
Cain, Abigail. “A Look at Botticelli’s “Birth of Venus” in Pop Culture.” Artsy. https://www.artsy.net/article/artsy-editorial-botticellis-birth-venus-pop-culture (accessed Feb. 23, 2019).
This is an online article I found that explains the use of Botticelli’s painting in today’s pop culture. It gives a brief history of Botticelli and how the work came to be, along with ideas of what the painting represents on today’s society. I think this source will be useful because it was written so recently and has information and examples that can’t be found in older books. The author explains how the piece can be seen as something to rebel against, defying beauty standards and sexist ideals. These viewpoints are really interesting and can add more depth into my paper. This website seems reliable, based on the goal to inform people about all types of art, including links to several famous artworks, auctions and galleries. I trust this website because the layout is clean, nothing is scattered and there are no pop up ads or clickbait titles that try to draw people in with fake information.
Evans, Mark. Botticelli reimagined. London: V&A Publishing, 2016.
This book includes a history about Botticelli alongside his original works. It also acts as a catalog from an exhibit done including modern interpretations of Botticelli’s work. Half of this book is historical in that it includes Florence’s art history and the history behind several Botticelli paintings. But there are also numerous examples of modern day art pieces that either reference or copy Botticelli work. I find this source to be very helpful, this book alone contains most of the possible information I need to start writing my research paper. Not only does it include 2d works, it focuses on film and fashion, along with several different regions where he has influenced visual culture.
Hetsroni, Amir. “The Presentation and Reconstruction of Art in Advertising: A Content Analysis, A Survey of Creatives and a General Public Survey.” Visual Arts Research, Vol. 31, No. 2 (2005): 38 – 56.
This source informs a reader about advertisement and art working together in a general sense. The article gives examples of the most popular art pieces that are used in advertisement and what people look for in art to use in publicity. Although this source doesn’t specifically give much detail as to why Birth of Venus is used so often, I think it gives insightful information I can use to make general claims in my paper. Found on JSTOR I think this source is reliable to work with as I write about advertisement and Botticelli’s painting.
Hughes, Kathryn. “Destination Venus: how Botticelli became a brand.” The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2016/mar/05/destination-venus-how-botticelli-became-a-brand (accessed Feb. 23, 2019).
This article is a report giving details of the works seen in the Botticelli: reimagined exhibit in London. This article lists various works that are also mentioned in the book I cited. After reading through the article, it seems like there was a lot of opinionated commentary, rather than observations. This website seems to want to grab a reader’s attention with hypothetical questions and causal language. The cite does include a lot of good examples, but I’m not positive on the authenticity of the text. I did some searching and The Guardian seems to be a reliable newspaper, but possibly not a good source for my paper.
* Koons, Jeff. “ARTPOP – Lady Gaga,” 2013. artRAVE, Brooklyn, New York. http://www.jeffkoons.com/artwork/projects/artpop-%E2%80%93-lady-gaga (accessed March, 4, 2019).
This is a specific example of an artwork that incorporates pieces of the original Birth of Venus into it. Jeff Koons designed this album cover for singer Lady Gaga in 2013. In an article published on Artsy (also in the bibliography), he stated how he wanted to make Lady Gaga a modern Venus in the art. This source will be an excellent example of how artists in today’s culture use old famous pieces in their work. The source is reliable because the link given on where to find it is the artist’s own website that includes his other projects as well.
Nici, John B. Famous Works of Art — And How They Got That Way. Lanham, Maryland: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015.
This book includes various famous artworks and the author explains how they became so popular. Birth of Venus is included, and a whole chapter is dedicated to its history, the artist, and why so many people are intrigued by the painting. In my research paper I will write about the piece’s origin, and why it came to be so famous. This source will be extremely helpful in doing so. I like this source because it helps me understand the culture of society back then, so that I can relate it to today’s society. After skimming through several of my sources, this one seems to have a lot of pivotal points that can help strengthen my paper.
Pater, Walter. The Renaissance. Luton: Andrews UK, 2011. https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.libproxy.newschool.edu/lib/newschool/reader.action?docID=800563 (accessed March 4, 2019).
This online version of the book gives an in depth history about the Italian Renaissance art period. Walter Pater writes about various Italian artists, Botticelli being one of them. This source is also a good historical reference to have when writing about Botticelli’s life in my paper. It does not have a lot of information about Birth of Venus specifically, which is a downside because that’s what I’m focusing on, but having extra sources on Botticelli won’t do any harm. This source is authentic and useful because I found it through the New School database, so it had to be approved before students could read it.
Zuffi, Stefano 1961 – . Botticelli: the birth of Venus. Pero, Milano, 2011.
This book gives an in depth explanation of the allusions and symbolism hidden within the details of Birth of Venus. Zuffi also includes a brief history of Italian art and about the life of Botticelli. This source is very helpful in that it captures all of the most important aspects of the painting. This is a more historical and factual source that can add reliability to my paper. I enjoy reading this source because it gives me more information about the painting that I can use in my paper. After researching the author, I learned Zuffi is an art historian who has published several books about Italian Renaissance art, proving the source’s reliability.
