Birth of Venus
74 x 46 x 10 in.
Molded fabric mounted on stretched canvas, acrylic paint
Available through the artist
Seeing Gina Klawitter’s Birth of Venus in person sparked an artist friend to recite Maya Angelou’s poem Still I Rise. While Gina’s art can easily be interpreted as a powerful illustration of the poem, it was intended to be a modern-day twist on the Birth of Venus, painted in the 1480’s by artist Sandro Botticelli.
Venus was the Roman goddess of love, sex, beauty, fertility and also the goddess of victory. Botticelli’s Venus was the first non-religious nude painted since classical antiquities. It was a pagan representation for its time. Botticelli had never traveled outside of Italy. In contrast, Gina was inspired to portray how feminine love, beauty and strength could be universally thought of today – and in a non-commercial way. She also wanted to embody a sense of fertility with Mother Earth imagery.
Gina created the structure of Venus by forming and hardening fabric over a live posed model. She mounted the molded structure onto a canvas, then painted the entire work with acrylics. Touches of metallic and iridescent paint bring the art to life when seen at different angles and with changes in ambient light.
A long-time commissioned artist and former art and creative director, Gina Klawitter is emerging into galleries and exhibits with her innovative Sculptural Paintings. You can see her ongoing, rotating exhibit by appointment at Colorado Ballet’s Armstrong Center for Dance.
Learn about Gina’s upcoming shows and see more work by visiting Gina’s website, and follow her on Facebook and Instagram.
