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Jacques-Louis David depicted the mythological confrontation between Mars, god of war, and Minerva, goddess of wisdom. The composition shows Minerva triumphant, her spear poised over the defeated Mars while Venus attempts to intervene. This allegory of wisdom conquering brute force reflected Neoclassical ideals of reason over passion.
David painted this early work to compete for the Prix de Rome, the prestigious scholarship that would launch his career. Though he lost that year, the painting demonstrates the clarity, muscular anatomy, and classical subjects that would later make him the most influential French painter of his generation. It hangs at the Louvre.

Ancient Roman (Unknown), -100
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Gerard ter Borch
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Bernardino Luini
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Leonardo da Vinci, 1496
Louvre, Paris, Paris
Other masterpieces from the Neoclassicism movement

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1814
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, 1783
Château de Versailles, Versailles, Versailles

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, 1862
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, 1782
National Gallery, London

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Musée Ingres, Montauban, Montauban

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Musée Condé, Chantilly, Chantilly

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Louvre, Paris, Paris

Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres
Musée Ingres, Montauban, Montauban
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