The lazy lovers of Botticelli’s 1483 Venus and Mars paint a picture not only of post-sex exhaustion, but of the love goddess’s calm and collected victory over the brash god of war. Venus disturbs the symmetrical shape of the figures to show her dominance over the god and her defense of love itself. As Mars lies asleep, unaware, and vulnerable, Venus sits upright with an air of cool relaxation and expression that can only be read as, “Well that was easy.” The satyrs play in Mars’s armor, mocking the god who lies far from his throne of human skin. The satyrs thrust Mars’s lance towards the war god, an ironic and humorous role change accentuating the control of Venus. The figures' elongated proportions show their perfected forms and elevate this sexual venture above the mortal realm, as Venus shows that love not only conquers war, but does so with ease.

--Austin Baker