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Italian painter of the Florentine school during the Early Renaissance. His work has been seen to represent the linear grace of Early Renaissance painting.
He became an apprentice when he was about fourteen years old, receiving a fuller education than other Renaissance artists. By 1470 Botticelli had his own workshop. His work was characterized by a conception of the figure as if seen in low relief, drawn with clear contours, and minimizing strong contrasts of light and shadow which would indicate fully modeled forms.
Botticelli never wed, and expressed a strong aversion to the idea of marriage, a prospect he claimed gave him nightmares. Some say he suffered from unrequited love for a married noblewoman, who served as the model for The Birth of Venus and recurs throughout his paintings. His wish was that he be buried at her feet when he died. His wish was carried out.
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