From the film-maker:

The first thing that struck me about Rubens's painting 'Minerva protects Pax from Mars' was that the goddess Minerva looks particularly butch. Even though Minerva plays a central role in the work, as the title of the painting suggests, she is relegated to the shadowy background. None of the other figures pay any attention to her. In 'My Big Butch Goddess', I combined my interest in Rubens's painting with my love for classical Hollywood cinema and tried to make a film that provides a counter balance to this state of affairs. To avoid heavy-handed moralising, I based the characters of Pax and Mars on the heroes and heroines of 1930s 'screwball' comedies.

Annelies Cuypers

A piece inspired by Peter Paul Rubens, Minerva protects Pax from Mars ('Peace and War') ,1629-30