# Venus and Adonis

[View the canonical artwork record](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/venus-and-adonis-r16e933412d4432>)

## Artwork

- Artist: [BLOEMAERT, Abraham](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500>)
- Date: 1601-1650
- Technique: Oil on canvas, 134 x 191 cm

## Commentary

The tale of Venus and Adonis is related in the ancient poet Ovid&#39;s Metamorphoses. Here the goddess Venus tries in vain to persuade her mortal lover Adonis to refrain from taking part in the dangerous hunt, but in the background we see Adonis having been slain during the hunt. This painting is regarded as one of Bloemaert&#39;s masterpieces. The harmony, the intensity of the colours, and the lustre of the classical figures against the contrasting landscape behind it testifies to the quality and longevity. In creating the composition, Bloemaert could look for inspiration in great artists such as Titian and Rubens, who had already painted the motif.

## Related artworks

- [A Cottage \(recto\)](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/a-cottage-recto-rce33126f7e0523>)
- [Adoration of the Magi](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/adoration-of-the-magi-rb4c84404373107>)
- [Adoration of the Shepherds](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/adoration-of-the-shepherds-r0233f92cdc5a5c>)
- [Adoration of the Shepherds](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/adoration-of-the-shepherds-ra2fff31576a314>)
- [Allegory of Winter](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/allegory-of-winter-r7f22375e4eada8>)
- [Apollo and Diana Punishing Niobe by Killing her Children](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/apollo-and-diana-punishing-niobe-by-killing-her-children-rb7c7f7dee7b324>)
- [Charikleia and Theagenes](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/charikleia-and-theagenes-r0250f09749c372>)
- [Farmyard](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/farmyard-r3b5111bcdb8d71>)
- [Farmyard with Dovecote](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/farmyard-with-dovecote-r5647939367b815>)
- [Huntsman with Dogs](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/huntsman-with-dogs-rac6035b626e967>)
- [Landscape with Peasants Resting](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/landscape-with-peasants-resting-rb2d3cdab9b8fac>)
- [Landscape with the Parable of the Tares among the Wheat](<https://beta.wga.hu/artists/bloemaert-abraham-rcb490160a07500-rcb490160a07500/landscape-with-the-parable-of-the-tares-among-the-wheat-r5ab5b437c58350>)

## Attribution

[Web Gallery of Art](<https://beta.wga.hu/pages/about>)