Eros and Psyche Sculpture: Analysis of Canova’s Neoclassical Masterpiece
Eros and Psyche: A Neoclassical Sculpture
1. General Information
- Author: Antonio Canova
- Timeline: 1793
- Size: 60 cm
- Style: Neoclassical
- Type: Free sculpture
- Material: White marble
- Location: Louvre Museum
2. Biography of the Author
The author is Italian. Neoclassical art attempts to revitalize the classical Greek and Roman styles. Early neoclassical sculptors were Italian because Rome was the center of the Roman Empire. Initially, commissions came from aristocrats, but after the French Revolution, the bourgeoisie became the patrons. The upper bourgeoisie, seeking distinction, gradually distanced themselves from the people and objects that artists asked people to line up for.
3. Formal Analysis
A. Technical and Material
Smooth white marble, polished using abrasives like volcanic rock and treated with lime and acid. This results in a sculpture with a striking white appearance, making the profiles appear faded. The light flows smoothly, with no pronounced contrasts.
The discovery of Pompeii and Herculaneum influenced Winckelmann, who wrote his famous book. Winckelmann’s vision of the ancient world, though perhaps mistaken, is reflected in neoclassical art. The lines are not sharply defined, creating a very idealistic sculpture.
Composition
The composition is an ‘X’ shape, with two heads kissing at the center, surrounded by a circumference from which the wings and limbs of the characters project.
Time
The sculpture captures a moment in time, specifically the instant after the kiss.
B. Stylistics
Neoclassicism is closely related to the Enlightenment, expressing the tastes and values of the bourgeoisie. Diderot, for example, criticized the Rococo art of Boucher for being too aristocratic, advocating for the serenity of the ancient world.
The style of this work is marked by subtlety and languid shapes.
- The academies valued sacrifice, commitment, and seriousness.
- Canova’s style follows three influences:
- Bernini: Airy shapes, all white, capturing specific moments.
- Romanticism: Deep values.
- Jacques-Louis David: Languid figures.
1. Interpretation, Meaning, and Function
This myth comes from Apuleius’s book, The Golden Ass. It features Psyche, a king’s beautiful daughter, and Eros, her lover, who gives her a palace. She accidentally wounds Eros and, realizing what she has done, tries to take her own life but cannot. An oracle then gives her three tasks from Venus. The third task involves taking the secret of beauty for Venus. Out of curiosity, Psyche opens the pitcher and falls asleep until Eros kisses her and wakes her.
This myth reflects two types of love: passionate love (Eros) and love as a feeling (Psyche).
Function: This work was commissioned by an English lord. It reflects bourgeois taste and the clothes they liked. Napoleon, who protected the artist, saw this work as embodying values contrary to Rococo.
2. Final Assessment
This work serves as a historical document illustrating bourgeois taste and admiration for antiquity.