On April 8 205 years ago, on the Greek island of Milos, An exceptional discovery took place: Milo’s Aphrodite, better known as Venus of Milo. It was not the archaeologists who discovered it, but a farmer named Yorgos Kentrotas who, while working the earth, found himself in his hands the sinuous white marble statue destined to become an icon for the art world.
THE’Greek workwhich at the time of the discovery was already without arms, was attributed by scholars to Alessandro di Antioch and would seem to trace the 130 BC does not know what mythological episode wanted to represent the sculptor; most likely it is a representation of the goddess Aphrodite while leaving the golden pommel in Paride.
The extraordinary two -meter Hellenic statue, which embodies the classic ideal of beauty, left Milo’s island aboard a French ship after a long negotiation. He became a reason for dispute between French and Greeks and in the end, the Marquis de Rivière – French ambassador to the Ottomans – managed to obtain the masterpiece and then donated him to King Louis XVIII. In 1821 it was brought to the Louvre Museum of Paris, where it is still located.
Milo’s Venus is one of the most famous Greek works of art in the world and has become a real inspiring muse for artists of different eras. To suffer his charm was, among many, the painter Delacroix who was inspired by the Hellenic masterpiece for the female figure of his famous painting “The freedom that guides the people”.
A timeless muse
But Milo’s splendid Venus, with his elegance and sensuality, continues to influence the artists of the present day. In the world of cinema are different quotations related to this work.
In the movie “The Dreamers”, Director Bertolucci wanted to pay homage to him with a scene that contains a clear reference to the statue: Isabelle (played by Eva Green), one of the protagonists of the film, enters a room with the arms covered with long black gloves that confuse themselves with the dim and that make her seem without arms, just like Milo’s Venus. Another quote to the Hellenic masterpiece is also found in the cult television series “The secrets of Twin Peaks” directed by David Lynch.
In short, millennia from its realization and 205 years have passed since its discovery, but Milo’s Venus does not stop fascinating the world.
