The Passing of Venus (1898)

Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones is the artist behind "The Passing of Venus", dated 1898. About the period around 1898: Japanese prints reached Europe in large numbers and influenced many artists, while photography changed what painting needed to do. The later nineteenth century is the era of Impressionism, whose first group exhibition was held in Paris in 1874, followed by Post-Impressionism, Symbolism, and the Arts and Crafts movement. Background on Mythology: Artists from the Renaissance to the Symbolists returned to myth to explore love, power, fate, and transformation. In European academies, history and mythological subjects ranked highest among painting genres, so they often appear on a large scale and with ambitious compositions. The catalogue places it in Mythology. The format is landscape.

On onlly.art "The Passing of Venus" is sold as a digital download (Digital JPEG + PDF files, 300 DPI). The files are delivered by email after payment, so nothing is shipped: you print locally, choosing the paper, size, and frame yourself. A landscape format suits wide, low wall spaces such as the stretch above a bed, mantel, or sideboard. Mythological scenes add narrative depth and historical atmosphere, which helps them work as a central accent in classic as well as eclectic spaces. Before printing, compare the proportions of the file with your frame so that nothing important is cropped. Choosing a standard frame size and printing to fit it often saves the cost of custom framing. Screens and printers render colour differently, so a small test print is a sensible way to check tones before committing to a large size. Matte and fine-art papers reduce glare in bright rooms, while glossy papers give stronger contrast and deeper blacks.

English, 1833–1898

If you like the visual language of Sir Edward Coley Burne-Jones, explore more works by the same artist in our collection.