MARS AND VENUS- SANDRO BOTTICELLI (1483)
Mars and Venus is a painting made by the Italian artist Alessandro Botticelli in 1483, and now it can be admired in the National Gallery Museum of London, England. This painting has been commissioned from the Vespucci Family.
The composition is really unvarying, and we see Venus and Mars lying in a garden, spending some time and relaxing.
In the background we see bushes of bay tree and myrtle, and far away the view is closed thanks to a mountain chain.
In the central part of the composition we see a Venus portrayed with that typical robe with which Botticelli used to dress his Goddesses. In that clothing we can also notice elements typical of the Florentine fashion, like the golden edges of her dress.…show more content… Mars’ nap should have been really deep, because neither the three little satyrs can wake him up. A satyr is a mythological creature half man and half goat; in the picture we see three of them in the center of the composition and one in right side under Mars. One is playing with Mars elm, too big for him, one is trying to wake him up playing Venus’ shell as a trumpet directly in his ears and one playing with his lance.
Since Mars is the God of War the three little creatures aren’t playing with casual things, but with the symbols of his power.
The fourth satyr is trying to unravel himself from Mars’ cuirass decisively too big for him. Also if Mars is violent for nature, he is too tired so he let that his weapons become little games for the satyrs. A really interesting aspect of this painting is that Botticelli did a mistake: Venus’ right leg completely disappears mixing with her clothes.
The fourth little satyr trying to unravel himself from Mars