Popsugar Beauty Beauty News Rainbow Hair Inspired by Famous Art Colorist Transforms Classic Artwork Into Rainbow Hair May 26, 2017 by Emily Orofino First Published: February 1, 2016 View On One Page Photo 6 of 10 ADVERTISEMENT () Start Slideshow Fine Art Series: This is the famous "Birth of Venus", by Boticelli. This painting is enormous - 6 by 9 feet - and has some interesting history behind it. First off, it was painted in the early Renaissance period (1480's), and it's one of the first serious works ever done on canvas (in tempera, which is egg based paint), as wood panels had been the preferred surface before. More interestingly, it also depicts a fully nude woman who is NOT affiliated with Christianity, which was considered somewhat scandalous at the time. This was probably a reflection of the growing interest in humanism and the re-emergence of mythology in art at the time. However, Boticelli himself is said to have had a nervous breakdown due to his guilt in painting "pagan" works after a fanatical friar briefly gained power in Florence, Italy. The friar, named Savanarola, criticized and condemned "vanity" items like jewelry, books, mirrors, and frivolous art, and even had an event called "The Burning of the Vanities", where an enormous pile of such items was set on fire in the town square! How Boticelli's painting escaped its demise in this event is not known, but his work took a decidedly more spiritual, Christian turn afterwards. This brings to mind questions about censorship - what do you guys think? Should some art be censored? Is some art inappropriate? If so, who gets to decide, and what should be done with inappropriate art? How does this incident compare with more recent censorship situations? @sadiehutch2013 #art #Boticelli #venus #birthofvenus #greekmyths #greekmythology #renaissance #painting #tempera #bluehair #rainbowhair #unicornhair #mermaidhair #behindthechair #modernsalon A photo posted by Ursula Goff (@uggoff) on Jan 23, 2016 at 11:25am PST Share This Link Copy ← Use Arrow Keys → 6 Sandro Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus" Previous Next Start Slideshow Beauty NewsBeauty TrendsHair TrendsHair Color