Anatomy of Impossible Beauty

Venus's body is anatomically wrong on purpose. Her neck is too long, her left shoulder drops at an impossible angle, and her pose — the Venus Pudica — references an ancient Roman sculpture type where the goddess modestly covers herself. Botticelli wasn't failing at realism; he was choosing elegance over accuracy.

Notice how the whole scene leans in one direction. The winds press from the left, a Hora — a spirit of the seasons — leans in from the right with her cloak, and even the falling roses and the goddess's hair stream the same way. The composition reads like a single gust of wind, pulling your eye across the canvas in one sweeping motion.