Such works may also serve to link older and newer methods for using media, conceptualizing ideas, and expressing feelings. In addition, art works often document events of the past or important beliefs; e.g., portraits of important spiritual or political leaders, genre scenes that inform us about the nature of daily routines, or works that distill the essence of the times in which they were created.

One example: Sandro Botticelli's masterpiece The Birth of Venus painted in 1486, which can be seen today in the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy.

The Birth of Venus was created during the height of the Italian Renaissance, when the intelligentsia turned away from the anti-intellectualism of the medieval world and embraced a reawakening of interest in scientific and objective reasoning associated with ancient Greece and Rome. Venus is shown being blown by the Zephyrs to her sacred island of Crete where the nymph Pomona waits to cover her with a protective cloak. In addition to involving us significantly in its aesthetic qualities because of its flowing contours and dramatic composition, Botticelli's work is also a compelling visual metaphor for a very prominent Renaissance allegory: the human sole exposed to the winds of passion must be clothed by the robes of reason.