Born of Spirit: A Contemporary Reimagining of Botticelli’s Venus

When I began this piece, I wasn’t trying to compete with Botticelli’s The Birth of Venus — how could anyone? Instead, I wanted to explore what happens when a familiar image is seen through a different lens, one shaped not by mythology, but by faith.

In Botticelli’s original, Venus rises from the seafoam, a goddess of beauty and desire, greeted by the winds and attended by figures from classical myth. Her arrival is sensual, ethereal, and full of movement. I kept the shell, the stance, and the sense of arrival — but I shifted the meaning.

In my version, the woman is not a goddess, but a modern figure born of Spirit. She stands poised, her stillness a quiet strength, her gaze holding something more inward — the beginning of an awakening.

The inspiration came from John 3:3:

“Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

I wanted the work to speak to transformation, identity, and grace — themes that run deep in my faith and in my art. Where Botticelli’s Venus is born of seafoam, this figure is born of Spirit. She is not celebrated for her divine sensuality, but for her renewal.

There’s also an echo of 2 Corinthians 5:17:

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!”

This painting isn’t a rejection of the original — in fact, it’s a tribute to Botticelli’s enduring vision. But by reframing it through a biblical perspective, the scene transforms from a mythological birth to a portrait of redemption. It becomes a space for contemplation — about what it means to be made new, and how art can bridge centuries, cultures, and beliefs.