Jacques-Louis David, Cupid and Psyche, 1817

Jacques-Louis David, Cupid and Psyche, 1817

Jacques-Louis David, Cupid and Psyche, 1817, oil on canvas, 184.2 x 241.6 cm, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio[1]

Jacques-Louis David, Cupid and Psyche, 1817, oil on canvas, 184.2 x 241.6 cm, Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio

“Love and Psyche,” also known as “Cupid and Psyche,” is an 1817 painting by Jacques-Louis David, currently housed in the Cleveland Museum of Art. Created during David’s exile in Brussels, the painting was commissioned by the patron and collector Gian Battista Sommariva. The artwork depicts the mythological figures Cupid and Psyche, exploring the conflict between idealized love and physical reality. David’s portrayal of Cupid as an ungainly teenager, rather than the traditional idealized adolescent, was a deliberate departure from conventional representations. This painting marked a significant shift in David’s style, incorporating realism and a more nuanced approach to mythological themes.

'큐피드와 프쉬케'라고도 알려진 '사랑과 프쉬케'는 자크 루이 다비드의 1817년 작품으로, 현재 클리블랜드 미술관에 소장되어 있습니다. 다비드가 브뤼셀에 있을 때 그린 이 그림은 후원자이자 수집가인 지안 바티스타 소마리바의 의뢰로 제작되었습니다. 이 작품은 신화 속 인물인 큐피드와 프시케를 묘사하여 이상화된 사랑과 물리적 현실 사이의 갈등을 탐구합니다. 데이비드는 큐피드를 기존의 이상화된 청소년이 아닌 어설픈 십대로 묘사했는데, 이는 기존의 표현에서 의도적으로 벗어난 것이었습니다. 이 그림은 사실주의와 신화적 주제에 대한 보다 미묘한 접근 방식을 통합하여 데이비드의 스타일에 중요한 변화를 가져왔습니다.

Artist

Jacques-Louis David

Title

Cupid and Psyche

Object type

painting

Genre

mythological painting

Description

David used the story of Cupid and Psyche to explore the conflict between idealized love and physical reality. Cupid, lover of the beautiful mortal Psyche, visited her nightly on the condition that she not know his identity. Cupid was usually depicted as an ideal adolescent, but here David presents him as an ungainly teenager smirking at his sexual conquest.David took inspiration from a number of ancient texts, including an obscure, recently published Greek poem by Moschus that describes Cupid as a mean-spirited brat with dark skin, flashing eyes, and curly hair.

Depicted people

Cupid

Psyche

Date

1817

Medium

oil on canvas

Dimensions

Framed: 221 x 282 x 10 cm

Unframed: 184.2 x 241.6 cm

Collection

Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, Ohio

---

[1] https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clevelandart_1962.37.jpg