Mars And Venus, An Allegory Of Peace

Infidelity in marriage is viewed as modern in this day and age. The marriage between the gods Aphrodite and Hephaestus could be considered modern due to their countless affairs, resemblance to modern media, similarity to celebrity cheating scandals through pictures and artwork, recent psychologist reasons as to why couples cheat, and their connection to current infidelity statistics. First of all, Aphrodite had countless affairs while being married to Hephaestus. Aphrodite’s well-known affairs were with the war god Ares, the wine god Dionysius, and a mortal man named Anchises. Aphrodite was always in love with the war god Ares. She had envisioned her life with him, but she was forced to marry Hephaestus instead. The affair lasted throughout …show more content…
In Mars and Venus, An allegory of Peace, by Louis-Jean-Francois Lagrenee, it shows the Roman God Mars and the Roman Goddess Venus. It shows Mars’ sword and armor telling us that he is the God of War. The doves represent love, which tells us that this is indeed the Goddess of love. The story conveys the themes of seduction and innocence. The curtain helps it become a theatrical moment. Mars and Venus are the actors in the painting. Mars invites the viewers into the story by opening the curtain to expose Venus. Mars wants the viewers to get a sense of her sexual appeal it is his purpose for revealing her. Venus is completely unaware of what Mars is doing; she is lying peacefully besides Mars. Venus’ loving nature has fused Mars’ fierce persona and this is shown by this scattered amour on their bedroom floor. Beside his armor are two doves making a nest in Mars’ helmet, which reiterates the couple’s bliss. The doves symbolize peace between the pair because they are in perfect harmony with one another. The red blanket symbolizes the passionate love they have for one another. Therefore, the subject matter adds to the meaning of the work. Venus has a slight smile on her face, which conveys her being in completely being in bliss from the previous affair. When Mars’ head is turned towards Venus, his facial expression appears to be in a gaze. The gaze shows how he is utterly captivated by Venus’ beauty. This painting shows their sexual passionate love for one another. It shows also the affair between Ares and Aphrodite, which was a huge scandal. While the painting, Hephaestus and Aphrodite, by Hendrick Van the Elder Balen, shows how unhappy Aphrodite is with Hephaestus. Through the facial expressions made by Aphrodite it shown that she seems annoyed and rather sad to be with Hephaestus. A celebrity cheating scandal that is similar to Aphrodite and Ares, is