Minerva Protects Pax from Mars (‘Peace and War’) (5) 1998

Curator: Leon Kossoff's etching, titled "Minerva Protects Pax from Mars ('Peace and War') (5)," presents a chaotic yet compelling scene. Editor: Wow, talk about a mood! It feels like looking at a battlefield through a rain-streaked window, all blurring lines and frantic energy. Curator: Indeed. Kossoff engages with classical mythology to explore themes of conflict and protection. Minerva, the goddess of wisdom and strategic warfare, shields Pax, the goddess of peace, from Mars, the god of war. This piece reveals Kossoff's engagement with historical narratives reinterpreted through a modern lens. Editor: You know, the scribbled lines almost feel like the frantic thoughts in the middle of chaos. It’s like feeling the anxiety in your bones, which is quite impressive for just some lines on paper. Curator: The frantic lines underscore the ever-present tension between peace and war, reflecting anxieties relevant across history and still today. Kossoff never shied away from depicting the human condition through such charged imagery. Editor: True, true. It's like he's saying, "Peace isn't just the absence of war; it's a constant struggle." I’ll take that thought with me, thank you very much.