During the Renaissance, the purpose of art evolved from one of religious education to one of aristocratic entertainment, and the use of symbols changed accordingly. With the 15th century reaction to religious authority came a strong interest in pre-Christian polytheist Greek and Roman mythology. "Back to the future" was the motto for Renaissance paintings with their symbolic representations of gods, goddesses and other mythic characters. Christian imagery faded into the background of the European culture.

The renowned Birth of Venus was the first large-scale Renaissance painting based solely on mythology. During the previous one thousand years, the Church censured nudity proclaiming it sinful. This painting was the first in western art history to show a secular nude woman. Symbolically, nudity expresses the natural innocence of the newborn, which in this case can be directly associated with the cultural renewal of the "Re-naissance" (French for "Re-birth".)

Venus, the goddess of love, beauty, and marriage is obviously the star of this painting, but other symbolic characters support the message of love and renewal. On the left, hovers the winged Zephyr, the West Wind (gentle breeze), with his consort, Chloris/Flora (flowers). On the right the Waiting Hour, an elegant nymph (spring, renewal) wears a flowery dress with a girdle of roses and a garland of myrtle (love). Other significant symbols are the sacred roses on the top left (love, the pain of love), the golden orange grove on the top right (divine essence), a blue anemone on the bottom right (spring), and cattails on the bottom left (golden hair). According to the legend, Venus was born from the sea, and thus water symbols such as the seashell, the sea and the waves are also very important in this painting.

When more than one symbol appears in symbolic art, the sum of the symbols becomes greater than its parts. Beyond each of the symbols lies a hidden story, and beyond the entire image lies a hidden message. The message of love and renewal in Botticelli's painting was also a message of hope for a society in transition. This is the magic of the unseen in Symbolism.