The image of the conquered "God of War" in Western painting

 　　There are two gods of war in ancient Greek mythology, Ares is the god of war who brings bloody slaughter, and Athena is the god of war who brings peace. Interestingly, Ares was welcomed by the Romans and was renamed "Mars". The Romans advocate force and like to conquer and expand. They consider themselves to be the descendants of Mars and regard Mars as the god of war, land, agriculture and spring.

　　Ares, the god of war in ancient Greek mythology, has a prominent origin - his father is the "king of the gods" Zeus, and his mother is the "Queen of the Gods" Hera. But Ares was not popular, and Zeus even claimed that "if he hadn't thought of his family, he would have cast Ares into the hell where the Titan gods were imprisoned". Ares was brutal by nature, and he often ran rampant in shining armor, as if only the clanging of weapons on the battlefield, the slaughter of warriors, and the cries of innocents could give him any pleasure. Although Ares was the god of war, the Greeks did not like this bloodthirsty god of war, and they lacked respect for him. There are two gods of war in ancient Greek mythology, Ares is the god of war who brings bloody slaughter, and Athena is the god of war who brings peace. Interestingly, Ares was welcomed by the Romans and was renamed "Mars". The Romans advocate force and like to conquer and expand. They consider themselves the descendants of Mars and regard Mars as the god of war, land, agriculture and spring. They set March as the month of war, the beginning of the year. March "March" comes from the name of Mars.

　　In Western paintings, the gentle god of beauty Aphrodite (Roman name: Venus) and the brutal god of war are often in the same picture, implying that "love can overcome brutal wars and bring peace to mankind". Botticelli's Venus and Mars was likely ordered by a patron to celebrate the wedding, and the odd shape of the piece suggests that the painting was originally a panel mounted on the room's wall. Venus in the painting looks at the sleeping Mars affectionately, a little Satyr (the forest god who is half human and half beast) secretly put on the helmet of the God of War, and another little Satyr blew in the ear of the God of War. screw number. The noisy satyr is in stark contrast to the demure Venus and the sleeping god of war, the painter skillfully accomplished the combination of dynamic and static. However, as a wedding gift, the painting has a deeper meaning: At that time, it was generally believed that women's gaze on the bodies of handsome men would help to produce boys and continue the family incense.

Rubens painting "Allegory of Peace" Luca Giordano 1660 Collection of Museo del Prado, Madrid

Venus and Mars Botticelli 1485 National Gallery Collection

　　Luca Giordano's "The Allegory of Peace by Rubens" is a peculiarly conceived work, the painter completed this symbolic work on a canvas 337 cm high and 414 cm wide. Giordano depicts a scene created by the renowned Flemish painter Rubens, who is presenting to the audience his soon-to-be-finished work - Aphrodite expelling Ares, the god of war. The scene conceived by Rubens also appears before the audience: Aphrodite makes a gesture of refusal to Ares. A corner of the close-up of the picture shows what was destroyed by the war in a symbolic way: the magic ball and scepter symbolizing politics, the astrolabe and armillary sphere symbolizing business or science, the manuscripts that symbolize literature or peace treaties, and the various arts. Masks, statues and lyres of all kinds; the god of vengeance in the background struggles to break free from chains, and artillery fire indicates that the war has begun.

　　Ares, the god of war, can not only be conquered by the god of love and beauty, but also often becomes the "defeat" of the goddess Athena. The theme of Athena's (Roman name: Minerva's) victory over Ares is seen as an allegory of peace. The Moral of the Blessing of Peace was a gift from Rubens, a Spanish diplomat, to King Charles I of England, when Spain and Britain had been at war for five years, and both sides were eager to reach a peace agreement. Rubens used his rich imagination to describe the prosperity and abundance that peace bestows: under the protection of Minerva, the goddess of peace nurtured Plutas, the god of wealth, and blessed people with abundant products, and Satir stared at these Fresh fruit, with joy on his face, the children opposite him are the hope for the future, and the boy holding the torch may be the god of marriage Xumen. Behind the goddess of peace, Rubens depicts the scene of Minerva in military uniform struggling to drive Ares away. Above Minerva is a little boy with a double snake stick, reminiscent of the messenger god Hermes , he symbolizes the principles of reciprocity and fairness in negotiation. Ultimately, Rubens and this peaceful painting led to the reconciliation of England and Spain, which resulted in a peace treaty between the two countries in November 1630.

　　A century later, the French painting genius Jacques-Louis Davit completed "Minerva vs Mars" in the examination of the French Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture. It was the 23-year-old Davitt's first competition for the Rome Scholarship, but not the only one, and it wasn't until 1774 that he got his wish.

The Allegory of Peace and Blessing Rubens 1629-1630 Collection of the National Gallery

　　The 1771 exam required candidates to write on the topic "Minerva vs Mars". The theme of "Minerva vs Mars" comes from the Trojan War. The Trojan War started because of the disputes between the gods and attracted the gods to participate in the war. Minerva guarded the army of the Greek Federation, and Mars helped the Trojans everywhere. The human hero Diomedes, with the help of Minerva, hit Mars with a spear. After the god of war was injured, he screamed, and Aphrodite rushed to hear the sound, but was also beaten by Minerva. Flip to the ground. Davitt's "Minerva vs Mars" is different from the classical style in the mature period of artistic creation, slightly inclined to the popular Rococo art at that time - Minerva's petite body and pink skin are like those in Rococo paintings. Court lady. Mars threw away his armor and fell to the ground, and Aphrodite and Cupid, who were rushing in the sky, were powerless. Although Davitt's work is rigorous in shape and quite classically interesting, the figure's posture is slightly stiff and the demeanor is not vivid enough, which led him to miss the Roman scholarship in the end.