Formal Analysis of Venus with Nymph and Satyr

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Formal Analysis of Venus with Nymph and Satyr While visiting the Wadsworth Atheneum one should find the time to walk through the Avery Memorial wing to see, sitting in the middle of a pool with a fountain, a Venus with a nymph, satyr, and two dolphins. The piece was signed by the mannerist sculptor Pietro Francavilla and was dated 1600 for when the sculpture was finished. The colossal sculpture made of one large block of marble towers over the viewer. The sculpture is in a frontal arrangement by the way each part of the sculpture is facing forward and the way that in order to see each element one can only look from the front or back to see the satyr and nymph at the same time. When viewing from the front one can see one large and towering figure in the middle with two other objects nearly half the height on the left and right of the middle figure. Throughout the sculpture the is a recurring theme of shape or flow of the figures. As one circles the piece they see a different view from each side of the it but one thing is still present. The sculptor created an “s” shape with his figures by contorting the subtle shapes and lines into a free flowing form. The arms and legs along with the moving hips and shoulders of each figure come together to form an overarching theme of the “s” shape. Pietro masterfully uses the negative space to his advantage when creating the piece. His deep carvings create the necessary shadowing to give the feeling of depth and authenticity. The negative space created by the legs and arms let light through the sculpture and draws the eye to the left figure’s crotch. Since the sculpture was created as a fountain and the piece can also be viewed at any angle the sculpture may have been meant for a garden fountain. Also one could argue that since the piece was arranged frontally instead of spiralling like previous similar sculptures by

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