Italian and Northern Renaissance
The work of art which I have selected for this assignment is Portrait of a Young Woman which is also called Idealized Portrait of a Young Woman and goes by even more names. It was painted either by Sandro Boticelli or Jacopo de Sellaio and features a profile of a young woman believed to be loosely based upon Simonetta Vespucci. I say loosely because, although much of the painting resembles her, it has long been believed to have been a goddess or nymph, hence, the title often including the word idealized. In my opinion, this work is quite striking. Renaissance art, especially of women, is often interesting as the ideals for beauty are so different now from how they were then. I find it fascinating how the woman is so elegant while not carrying what are now thought of as elegant qualities. For example, she has a very prolong face shape with a pointy nose and a large chin. All of these things are no longer considered as the beauty standard. Yet, because they were at the time, they someho
