Psyche who is a young Princess recieves a kiss by cupid and this surprises and arouses her as she cannot see him. The myth shown in this painting here, is a love story but also a metaphysical allegory. Psyche sybolizes the human soul. Psyche is a Greek word and it means "soul". This scene which is painted by Gérard symbolizes the the union of the human soul and divine love. The artist has painted a butterfly shown flying over the young woman's head and the insect's name in ancient Greek is also "psyche" therefor it means soul. This is a painting of the Romanticism period as it shows what the people want to see, a perfect female figure, beaty and affection. This painting which was painted in 1798 by Gérard, shows the evolution of neoclassicism towards sensuality and a certain formal abstraction.
Cupid and Psyche
"The Bathers" shows a rather fat woman from behind who is stepping out of a small pool. She is naked but she only has a thin cloth that covers her lower back side. She is giving her maid a gesture. People objected to its vulgarity and pointlessness. The nudes in paintings of this time were always graceful and classical figures. The nude in "The Bathers" is a more realistic representation of the female body, and this caused the people to dislike it.
The Bathers
The difference between these two time periods of these paintings is that Romanticism portrays what people want to see, giving a good image with grace and beauty. this escapes from the truth. Realism on the other hand shows the true side, the real side of that time. This means it showed all the features as they were lie the woman in the bath. The artists did not hide that women were rather fat or that there was poverty in that time.
http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/cupid-and-psyche-0
http://www.louvre.fr/en/oeuvre-notices/cupid-and-psyche-0
No comments:
Post a Comment