Folkert de Jong creates new version of Botticelli's Venus
The First Art Newspaper on the Net    Established in 1996 Tuesday, October 15, 2024


Folkert de Jong creates new version of Botticelli's Venus
Dea Consumptia, Goddess of Consumption by Folkert de Jong at the LAM museum, Lisse, The Netherlands. Photo by Corine Zijerveld.



LISSE.- Dutch artist Folkert de Jong has created a new version of the famous painting The Birth of Venus by Sandro Botticelli. He produced it for the LAM museum, located on the Keukenhof Estate in Lisse. Botticelli’s masterpiece is still regarded by many as the ultimate symbol of beauty and hangs in the Italian Uffizi Gallery, attracting thousands of visitors each month. Pop stars, photographers and fashion designers are still inspired by the goddess’s looks. Folkert’s sculpture is 265 cm tall and made from epoxy resin, polyurethane foam and Styrofoam. She has irregular skin and rises up out of a bowl of plastic soup. “With this artwork, I’m criticising the consumption of feminine beauty”, says Folkert.

Folkert’s Venus is called Dea Consumptia, Goddess of Consumption. The work is now on display at the LAM museum.

A new perspective on the Goddess

Sandro Botticelli (1445-1510) painted The Birth of Venus around 1483. According to legend, Venus, the goddess of love, was born from the sea’s foam and came ashore on a Cypriot beach standing on a scallop shell.

Folkert de Jong (1972) believes Botticelli’s famous painting symbolises the birth of the goddess of consumption. In his version, Venus bubbles to the surface from discarded plastic water bottles.

Sex symbol

Botticelli’s Venus tries to cover her naked body with her hands and her long, wavy hair. Folkert regards this work as a shameless depiction of a young woman as a mere sex symbol.

“Sandro Botticelli makes the viewer complicit in a sort of striptease performed under duress”, says Folkert. “With this painting, Botticelli gave the green light to use art as an excuse for lusting after the young female body. It’s similar to how advertising entices us today to buy luxury items and other things – Botticelli’s painting incites us to consume physical beauty.”

Present-day marble

Folkert is renowned for his use of unusual substances. He works with everyday building materials such as polyurethane foam. Dea Consumptia, now part of the LAM museum collection, is made from epoxy resin, polyurethane foam and Styrofoam, which are manufactured by the chemical industry and are harmful to the environment.

These materials are used for the insulation of household appliances, in shipbuilding and the construction industry. “I regard these unethical materials as today’s marble”, says Folkert. “We don’t even realise it, but they are everywhere, all around us”.

It’s the first time that Folkert has worked using a combination of epoxy resin, polyurethane foam and Styrofoam.

Folkert de Jong

Folkert de Jong (Egmond aan Zee, 1972) studied at Amsterdam University for the Arts and Rijksakademie. He became a world-famous artist for his larger-than-life sculptures of fantasy figures. Museums worldwide and other collections have purchased Folkert’s artworks and have held exhibitions to celebrate them. These include Saatchi (London), the Picasso Museum (Barcelona), Mackintosh Museum (Glasgow), James Cohan Gallery (New York), Kunsthalle Winterthur (Switzerland) and Art Basel Miami. Dea Consumptia is the second artwork by Folkert de Jong purchased by the LAM for its collection. This relatively young art museum has already acquired a bronze sculpture by the artist.

LAM museum

The LAM museum is located in the heart of the famous Dutch bulb region and is home to an international art collection dedicated to food and consumption. Big names from the art world, including Ron Mueck, Yinka Shonibare, Kathleen Ryan, Raquel van Haver and Tom Friedman, offer fresh perspectives on everyday activities like eating, drinking and shopping.

Sietske van Zanten, the museum’s director, says: “We hope visitors will look at everyday things in a new way, both during and after their visit to the museum. Folkert de Jong’s artwork invites us to view everyday life and physical beauty used in adverts in a very different light.”










Today's News

January 24, 2023

The Philip Guston hoard: A boon or overkill?

Picasso's joyful & tender portrait of his daughter Maya comes to auction with an estimate of $15-20 million

Hauser & Wirth opens Mike Kelley's first solo exhibition in the Greater China

Museum Tinguely acquires a key work by Jean Tinguely from the 1960s

Contemporary works star in the first of three live editions sales for the New York spring season

Oolite Arts presents "Good Times," a solo show by artist Chris Friday

The daughter of a king, and a legacy of tears

Edward Pressman, film producer who boosted many careers, dies at 79

Bath's Holburne Museum opens 'Illustrating the World: Woodcuts in the Age of Dürer'

Folkert de Jong creates new version of Botticelli's Venus

"Maria Calandra: Outskirts of Infinity" opens this week at GNYP Gallery

New brooms sweep into Olympia Auctions in 2023

Nobel Prize in Chemistry awarded to George A. Olah to be auctioned

A car accident couldn't halt the saxophonist Lakecia Benjamin's rise

Innovative mixed-use Nelson Glass House adds housing density, responsibly

Smith College Museum of Art announces 2023 Artist in Residence Abdessamad El Montassir

Exhibition at CHOI&CHOI Gallery features new works by Jae Ho Jung

The Ukrainian Museum presenting Yelena Yemchuk's first large-scale exhibition

Dana-Fiona Armour's "A Tale of Symbiogenesis" now on view in Stockholm

Galerie Nathalie Obadia Brussels presents paintings and works on paper from 2015-2021 by Fiona Rae

Marion Meade, biographer of Dorothy Parker, dies at 88

(So) Happy Together: "Ever since the Big Bang, it's ALL collage!", Todd Bartell

Ginny Redington Dawes, composer of memorable ad jingles, dies at 77

Visuals plays a big role in newly released casinos.

Music as a instrument of social and emotional communication

5 Essential Branding Tips to Enhance Your Corporate Image

How to Rent E-commerce warehouses for Warehousing & Storage Needs in Bangalore?

What impact does a home's interior have on people's minds?




Museums, Exhibits, Artists, Milestones, Digital Art, Architecture, Photography,
Photographers, Special Photos, Special Reports, Featured Stories, Auctions, Art Fairs,
Anecdotes, Art Quiz, Education, Mythology, 3D Images, Last Week, .

 



Founder:
Ignacio Villarreal
(1941 - 2019)
Editor & Publisher: Jose Villarreal
Art Director: Juan José Sepúlveda Ramírez
Writer: Ofelia Zurbia Betancourt

Attorneys
Truck Accident Attorneys
Accident Attorneys
Holistic Dentist
Abogado de accidentes

Royalville Communications, Inc
produces:

ignaciovillarreal.org juncodelavega.com facundocabral-elfinal.org
Founder's Site. Hommage
to a Mexican poet.
Hommage
       

The First Art Newspaper on the Net. The Best Versions Of Ave Maria Song Junco de la Vega Site Ignacio Villarreal Site Parroquia Natividad del Señor
Tell a Friend
Dear User, please complete the form below in order to recommend the Artdaily newsletter to someone you know.
Please complete all fields marked *.
Sending Mail
Sending Successful