Gods and stories

Diego Velázquez

Mars

c. 1638

Oil on canvas, 179 × 95 cm · Museo del Prado, Madrid

Velázquez turns the god of war into a weary man sitting on a bed, naked except for his helmet. The painting was recorded in Philip IV’s hunting lodge, the Torre de la Parada.

• Recorded at the Torre de la Parada in 1701–03, beside Velázquez’s Aesop and Menippus of similar size.
• Look for armour, shield and sword dropped at the foot of the bed and the baton resting on the floor.
• The Prado traces the pose to the ancient Ludovisi Ares and to Michelangelo’s Pensieroso.
• Loose brushwork builds the body with soft outlines.

Ares (Roman Mars) is the god of war, admired by the Romans more than the Greeks. His affair with Venus was a favourite subject for showing love disarming war.

Image: Wikimedia Commons · Public domain