Venus effect Venus effect The Venus effect is a phenomenon in the psychology of perception, named after various paintings of Venus gazing into a mirror, such as Diego Velázquez's "Rokeby Venus", Titian's "Venus with a Mirror", and Veronese's "Venus with a Mirror". Viewers of such paintings assume that Venus is admiring her own reflection in the mirror; however, since the viewer sees her eyes in the mirror, Venus is actually looking at the reflection of the painter. This psychological effect is often used in the cinema, where an actor will be shown apparently looking at himself or herself in the mirror. What
Venus and Musician death in 1510 Titian had completed his "Dresden Venus", and then around 1534 had painted the "Venus of Urbino". A repetition of this from 1545, perhaps a lost recorded "Venus" sent to Charles V, "was the basis" for the "Venus and Musician" series. Unlike these, the Cupid in most versions of "Venus and Musician" does allow a clear identification of the female as Venus, despite the modern decor. Otherwise the painting falls into the category showing courtesans, though these are also often described as "Venus", if only to retain some propriety. In all an unembarassed Venus is completely naked, except