Mars And Venus United By Love: Visual Analysis

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The first piece of artwork Mars and Venus United by Love illiterates Cupid binding Mars (the god of war) to Venus with a love knot. Visually opulent and sensual, the picture also operates as an allegory and celebrates the civilizing and nurturing effects of love (milk flows from Venus's breast and Mars's horse is restrained). The picture represents the triumph of love over war. The artist's paintings of historical, mythological and religious subjects as well as the everyday life of the Venetian nobility feature foreshortened massive figures in unconventional poses, a characteristic reminiscent of Michelangelo during the same period. This Venus is an excellent example of the sensual-spiritual nudes he painted that appealed to secular as well