Sandro Botticelli, Venus and Mars, tempera and oil on poplar, Italy ca. 1485, National Gallery, London.
The cultures derived from antiquity, especially Rome and Greece, had a major influence on the Renaissance period’s artists and works. One of these masters is Sandro Botticelli, who lived from 1445 to 1510. He enjoyed producing works that had a religious and mythological context, including Venus and Mars. The goddess of love, Venus, sits, glaring at her companion Mars, who is the god of war. She appears lively and content, while he slumps in slumber. This is so much so that the young satyr blowing a conch shell into his ear goes unnoticed. The unique shape of the individual work hints toward the theory that it was once a spalliera or a panel set upon a wall. The panels were produced to celebrate a marriage and to decorate a reception room, more related to a bedroom. The vibrancy of the colors and textures open the eyes to his very talent. A correlation between Mars’ body physique and ancient sculptures can be made, going back to the idea that antiquity helped to shape the Renaissance’s art.
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