Minerva Fighting Mars
Minerva Fighting Mars (Combat de Mars contre Minerve) is a 1771 painting by Jacques-Louis David, now in the Louvre.
History
David produced the painting to compete for the Prix de Rome of 1771. For the competition, he and the seven other participating artists were assigned the task of painting a new work in 10 weeks on a set subject, which that year was the Iliad. David lost that year to Joseph-Benoît Suvée, finally winning on his fourth attempt in 1774 with Erasistratus Discovering the Cause of Antiochus' Disease.
Context
David does not obtain the Prize which was attributed to Suvée, and the Combat of Mars against Minerva was harshly criticized by Vien who would have prevented the prize from being attributed to David. David will finally obtain this Prize on his fourth attempt, in 1774 with the Illness of Antiochus. Jacques Louis David then felt a real disgust for the academy, which he considered to be a dishonest and dusty institution.[1]
References
- Michel, Keith (2013). War, Terror and Carriage by Sea. Taylor and Francis. ISBN 978-1-135-13378-8. OCLC 841914986.
Bibliography
- Régis Michel and Marie-Catherine Sahut, David, l'art et le politique, Paris, Gallimard, coll. « Découvertes Gallimard » (n° 46), 1988 (ISBN 2-07-053068-X)
External links
