Iliad, The Warriors 1975

Jan Cox created this painting titled "Iliad, The Warriors," of an unknown date, using vivid colours and a bold, expressive style. Notice the recurring motif of the mask or face, a symbol deeply rooted in human history. From ancient Greek theatre to tribal rituals, masks have served as transformative devices, concealing and revealing aspects of identity. These faces evoke archetypal figures from the Iliad, their expressions distorted, reflecting the chaos and emotional turmoil of war. We are reminded of the mask of Agamemnon. Found in Mycenae, Heinrich Schliemann believed that he had found the mask that covered the face of the Achaean king. Consider how the skull-like visages mirror the transience of life and the inevitability of death. Such symbolic use of faces taps into a collective memory, stirring primal fears and anxieties associated with conflict and mortality. The masks within this artwork are more than mere representations; they are vessels of psychological projection, inviting us to confront the darker aspects of human nature that persist throughout history.