Here Venus is shown as a beautiful and chaste goddess and symbol of the coming spring. At this time in Renaissance history, when almost all art was of Christian theme, nude women are not often depicted and when they are they symbolize sinful lust. Most paintings of women during the Middle Ages symbolize the Virgin Mary, showing her in a demure appearance with an angelic smile and covered head. So why did Botticelli paint the beautiful goddess, not only an obvious symbol of pagan mythology but also as a nude?

Read more at Suite101: Meaning in "The Birth of Venus": Botticelli Shows Venus in a Pose Traditionally Held by Virgin Mary http://www.suite101.com/content/meaning-in-the-birth-of-venus-a17743#ixzz1E5ohInk9

Roundel with Putti and Ladies Looking Down. Detail of ceiling. 1465-74. Fresco. Palazzo Ducale, Camera degli Sposi (Bridal Chamber), Mantua, Italy.

Mantegna's main legacy in considered the introduction of spatial illusionism, both in frescoes and in sacra conversazione paintings: his tradition of ceiling decoration was followed for almost three centuries. Starting from the faint cupola of the Camera degli Sposi,

Christ Handing the Keys to St. Peter by Pietro Perugino (1481-82) Fresco, 335 x 550 cm Cappella Sistina, Vatican

Masaccio - The Holy Trinity with the Virgin, St. John and Two Donors

Masaccio’s work was the first painting to build on Brunelleschi’s understanding of the mathematics of perspective. It demonstrated new possibilities for the two dimensional representation of three dimensional space, creating an image that attempted to directly map, rather than indirectly represent, an imagined space. The fresco, considered by many to be Masaccio's masterwork, is the earliest surviving painting to use systematic linear perspective, possibly devised by Masaccio with the assistance of Brunelleschi himself.

Brunelleschi's ability to crown the dome with a lantern was questioned and he had to undergo another competition. He was declared the winner over his competitors Lorenzo Ghiberti and Antonio Ciaccheri. His design was for an octagonal lantern with eight radiating buttresses and eight high arched windows (now on display in the Museum Opera del Duomo). Construction of the lantern was begun a few months before his death in 1446. Then, for 15 years, little progress was possible, due to alterations by several architects. The lantern was finally completed by Brunelleschi's friend Michelozzo in 1461. The conical roof was crowned with a gilt copper ball and cross, containing holy relics, by Verrocchio in 1469. This brings the total height of the dome and lantern to 114.5 metres (375 ft). This copper ball was struck by lightning on 17 July 1600 and fell down. It was replaced by an even larger one two years later.

orthogonal lines

Rusticate

stringcourse, In Architecture, decorative horizontal band on the exterior wall of a building. Such a band, either plain or molded, is usually formed of brick or stone. The stringcourse occurs in virtually every style of Western architecture, from Classical Roman through Anglo-Saxon and Renaissance to modern.

trompe l' oeil