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International Art Treasures Web Magazine May 2006 |
Cupid and PsycheNeoclassical Visions of Love
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One doesn't have to travel to France to enjoy Baron François Gérard’s famous painting, Cupid and Psyche normally found at the Louvre. |
It is currently the centerpiece of Cupid and Psyche: Neoclassical Visions of Love exhibit on display at the Minneapolis Institute of Arts.
This work represents the philosophical ideals of the artists and thinkers who helped shape the Neo-classical age. The story it depicts is a timeless tale of love.
The tale of Cupid and Psyche was first told in Apuleius’s Metamorphoses, dating from the second century B.C. Unsurprisingly it inspired numerous classical artists. Like many good tales it was retold, including a popular version by Jean de La Fontaine (1621–95), the French poet and fabulist. His Les Amours de Psiché et de Cupidon, published in 1669, is the version most neoclassical artists cite as their inspiration.
Title: Cupid and Psyche, 1821
Artist: William Etty (British, 1787-1849)
Medium: Oil on Canvas.
Image Courtesy: The Minneapolis Institute of Arts
The romantic tale tells of the Psyche, whose beauty rivaled that of the goddess Venus. A jealous Venus ordered her son Cupid to shoot one of his enchanted arrows, ensuring an unhappy marriage for Psyche to deal with her rival in the beauty stakes. Cupid fell under Psyche's spell and opted to keep Psyche for himself, guaranteeing an uncomfortable relationship with her already jealous mother-in-law for the young woman. She was taken to his palace and wooed by the young god, who kept hidden from her sight. Naturally enough Psyche's curiosity was aroused, however she was convinced to kill this strange phantom while he slept. Instead she accidentally burned him with her oil lamp. Cupid fled and Psyche was left to face the wrath of Venus, who ordered a heartbroken Psyche to complete several impossible tasks.
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True love had some help from sympathetic gods who aided Psyche, provided Venus was oblivious. Upon completion of these assignments the reunion took place and the couple married and had a daughter together named Pleasure. |
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Baron Francois Gérard was a pupil of David. |
Gérard was the son of the steward of the Cardinal de Bernis who was the French Ambassador to the Vatican. He spent his childhood in Rome. In 1789 he took second place at the Prix de Rome, while first place went to Girodet.
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Cupid and Psyche was received with great success when it was unveiled in 1798 and within two years Gérard was given commissions by the Emperor Napoleon. |
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Gérard was attuned to the political times, given in 1814 he altered his loyalty to the Bourbons and entered the service of Louis XVIII, though Talleyrand helped him achieve this success.
The exhibition includes works from the Institute’s permanent collection and features paintings, sculpture, and works on paper by Pierre-Paul Prud’hon, Jean-Honoré Fragonard, and Augustin Pajou.
Cupid and Psyche:
Neoclassical Visions of Love
Minneapolis Institute of Arts:
February 11 - August 20, 2006