How To Read Paintings: Venus and Mars by Sandro Botticelli

What does the painting show? A woman and a man lying in a grassy glade, surrounded by trees and shrubbery. She is sat up with her elbow cushioned by a red pillow; he has fallen asleep with his head outstretched in deep slumber. Behind them, a group of baby satyrs — half-human and half-goat creatures — are playing with the man’s weapons. She is Venus, the goddess of love and fertility. He is Mars, the god of war. When read as an allegory, the message is of Love conquering Strife. His brutal and aggressive nature is subdued by Love’s grace. To further prove his disarmament, his weapons laid aside are being carried away by the impish satyrs. <img alt="" src="https://miro.medium.com/v2/resize:fit:700/1*eOx1RZbe89UkA1XdwJBarw.jpeg" style="height:545px; width:700px" /> Detail of ‘Venus and Mars’ (c 1485) by Sandro Botticelli. Tempera and oil on poplar panel, 69 cm x 173 cm. National Gallery, London. Source <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Venus_and_Mars_National_Gallery.jpg" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Wikimedia Commons</a> What I like about this painting is the very directness of the scene. The artist, Sandro Botticelli (1445–1510), has managed to fill an extraordinary amount of detail into the composition without stifling the aesthetic balance. This has the effect of bringing the scene close-up to the viewer whilst maintaining a sense of clarity. The colour tones are light and simple, and each figure is painted with a degree of vividness that seems to illuminate their very presence. <a href="https://christopherpjones.medium.com/how-to-read-paintings-venus-and-mars-by-sandro-botticelli-9c6e8d1ca538">Read More</a>