The Greek story of the birth of Aphrodite is meant to explain the pain and joy of intimate relationships. Most artwork that portrays this event appeal to eroticism rather than the full myth. The myth is, in brief, that Uranus who had the habit of eating his children so that they would not displace him, was castrated by some of his children who had escaped (the Giants). When they had castrated their father, they threw his genitals into the sea. The blood from the castrated members mated with the sea and in a bloody foam, Venus emerged as the goddess of love...hence the joy and pain of love. There are also other references in this painting to Sumerian mythology related to the same subject.
