''Mars'' or ''Resting Mars'' (''Descanso de Marte'', literally ''The Rest of Mars'') is a 1640 painting by

Diego Velázquez Diego Rodríguez de Silva y Velázquez (baptised 6 June 15996 August 1660) was a Spanish painter, the leading artist in the Noble court, court of King Philip IV of Spain, Philip IV of Spain and Portugal, and of the Spanish Golden Age. He i ...

. It is now in the

Prado Museum The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is the main Spanish national art museum, located in central Madrid. It houses collections of European art, dating from the 12th century to the early 20th century, based on ...

. It is thought to have been finished around 1639–1640, as were all paintings made by the artist to be in the

Torre de la Parada The Torre de la Parada is a former hunting lodge that was located in present-day Monte de El Pardo in Fuencarral-El Pardo, near the Royal Palace of El Pardo, some way outside Madrid in the Sierra de Guadarrama. It was mostly destroyed by fire ...

for King Philip IV of Spain.

Description and analysis of the painting

As an example of

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

art, it's based in principles of symmetry, combined with, while less dramatic than other examples of the same artistic movement, the light technique of

Chiaroscuro In art, chiaroscuro ( , ; ) is the use of strong contrasts between light and dark, usually bold contrasts affecting a whole composition. It is also a technical term used by artists and art historians for the use of contrasts of light to ach ...

, a dark background contrasted with the source of light coming from the viewer's point of view, resulting in depth and dramatism added to the work, highlighting the nudity in such. Being in the genre of mythological paintings, this painting is a satirical depiction of the god

Mars Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun. It is also known as the "Red Planet", because of its orange-red appearance. Mars is a desert-like rocky planet with a tenuous carbon dioxide () atmosphere. At the average surface level the atmosph ...

, inspired by models such as the Hellenistic and classical Ludovisi Ares (attributed to the sculptor

Scopas Scopas (; born in Paros, fl. 4th century BCE) was an ancient Greek sculptor and architect, most famous for his statue of Meleager, the copper statue of Aphrodite, and the head of goddess Hygieia, daughter of Asclepius. Early life and family S ...

), and ''Il Pensieroso'', one of

Michelangelo Michelangelo di Lodovico Buonarroti Simoni (6March 147518February 1564), known mononymously as Michelangelo, was an Italian sculptor, painter, architect, and poet of the High Renaissance. Born in the Republic of Florence, his work was inspir ...

's sculptures for the

Medici The House of Medici ( , ; ) was an Italian banking family and political dynasty that first consolidated power in the Republic of Florence under Cosimo de' Medici and his grandson Lorenzo "the Magnificent" during the first half of the 15th ...

in the new sacristy of the Basilica of San Lorenzo. Such are reinterpreted satirically or ironically by Velázquez, showing the god as a humanized form. As the name implies, the god is depicted resting, an expression of contemplation, resignation, deep in thought, or perhaps one of weariness. While a god of war, which can be identified by the spear against his thigh, the discarded armor on the floor and the helmet, the deity is depicted vulnerable, in the nude, unlike his usual representations, he's not dressed for battle. A sense of decrepitude and saturnal melancholy to him. The sagging skin perhaps showcasing how the god is not as strong as it once used to be. For Charles de Tolnay, this painting has a motive of

Vanitas ''Vanitas'' is a genre of symbolizing the temporality, transience of life, the futility of pleasure, and the certainty of death, and thus the vanity of ambition and all worldly desires. The paintings involved still life imagery of transitory i ...

, saturnal melancholy suggesting that Mars is ''meditating the vanity of his victory,'' though its also possibly referencing the decaying

Army of Flanders The Army of Flanders (; ) was a field army of the Spanish Army based in the Spanish Netherlands between the 16th and 18th centuries. It was one of the longest-serving field armies of the early modern era, being founded in 1567 and disbanded in 170 ...

, also known as the Tercios de Flandes with the loss of the

Battle of Rocroi The Battle of Rocroi, fought on 19 May 1643, was a major engagement of the Thirty Years' War between a French army, led by the 21-year-old Duke of Enghien (later known as the Great Condé) and Spanish forces under General Francisco de Melo ...

against the French army, which could be interpreted trough the moustache. And while interesting, such an interpretation is also put to question when considered how Velázquez desired to be ennobled, with the argument that damaging the reputation of the Spanish army, no matter how frustrated he might be, could be against his own interests, alongside his loyalty to the Spanish King. Its also debated whether the painting may represent the frustrated love with the goddess

Venus Venus is the second planet from the Sun. It is often called Earth's "twin" or "sister" planet for having almost the same size and mass, and the closest orbit to Earth's. While both are rocky planets, Venus has an atmosphere much thicker ...

, an affair that was put to an end by the god Vulcan, her husband, whom after being aware of the infidelity wove an iron mesh to surprise the lovers, as depicted in another of Velázquez's paintings Apollo in the Forge of Vulcan. White sheets behind him being where the lovers were surprised, as the god reflects in defeated sadness.

External links

''Velázquez ''
exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on this painting (see index)
Tom Gurney's analysis in the History of Art
1640 paintings Paintings by Diego Velázquez in the Museo del Prado Mythological paintings by Diego Velázquez Paintings of Mars (mythology) {{1640s-painting-stub

Description and analysis of the painting

See also

External links