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Martin Herbert : The Rebirth of Venus : Oils & egg-tempera on canvas : 18" x 24" (457 x 610 mm) : 2004

Giclee print on fine art paper, 18" x 24", signed & numbered (limited edition of 800): £120 Mini print, mounted to fit 10" x 12" frame, open edition: £15 Greetings card 5" x 7": £2 When you have finished shopping: Original painting: SOLD : Collection of Lui Krieg

As a long-time admirer of Botticelli, when I started learning the Mische Technique of painting, I decided one of my first subjects would be a reinterpretation of one of his great themes, the Birth of Venus. Botticelli depicted the Goddess, born from the ocean wave which was fertilised by the severed genitals of the God Uranus, having already risen from the waves, carried upward on a scallop shell. Here I wanted an underwater scene, just before the moment of her birth, her expression one of innocence and wonder at the new world into which she is emerging. Her adornment with Celtic tattoos (based on designs from the Book of Kells) is a reflection of the way in which the persona of Venus from Greek classical mythology has been adopted and reinterpreted in many ways by the contemporary neo-pagan movement. I also see a duality in her image - passive sex object or powerful Goddess?