Inspired by
Greek and
Roman Mythology, it shows a scene inspired by
Homer's
Iliad. During the
Trojan War,
Venus intervenes in the fighting to save her son
Aeneas, but is wounded in the arm by the Greek hero
Diomedes. She is shown being rescued by
Iris in a
chariot. Vien was an important figure of the
Neoclassical movement in France. He served as director of the
French Academy in Rome between 1775 and 1781 and counted
Jacques-Louis David and
François-André Vincent amongst his notable pupils. The painting was exhibited at the
Salon of 1775 at the
Louvre in
Paris. Rather than focus on the raging battle, Vien chose to concentrate the composition on the mythological figures. ==References==