Cupid and Psyche

Cupid and Psyche is an oil on canvas mythological painting that hangs at the Munch Museum in Oslo. This painting was created in 1907 by Edvard Munch in Berlin at a time when he had shifted his works to human figures and situations.

This artwork depicts two figures that are a man and a woman, both naked. The details of their faces and figures are sketchy, to the left lies a spiral staircase that is barely visible and the two figures are close to each other as if they are about to get intimate. The painting is made up of vertical strips of paints while the only horizontal strokes in the painting are in the spiral staircase. Cupid and Psyche is among one of Munch's work that is a part of his collection called the Frieze of Life that comprised of 22 other artworks.

Later on, this painting was loaned to the D'Orsay and was exhibited in Crime and Punishment, which was organized to emphasize the death penalty and the crimes resulting in the death penalty. The main theme of this painting is love and pain which are shown by Psyche's injuries both to her spirit and her body while through Cupid's posture he shows concern for her injuries. Edvard Munch was inspired by Impressionism, an art movement style that later gave birth to modern art. Impressionist artists that influenced Munch include Edouard Manet, Paul Gauguin and Vincent van Gogh. During his career, Munch produced numerous artworks and some of his notable artworks include Madonna, Puberty, Dance of Life and The Scream. His works influenced other artists such as Gustav Klimt who painted The Kiss.

Cupid and Psyche is another painting by Edvard Munch representing his ambivalence to the matters of love, heart and romance. Psyche's eyes are covered in blood perhaps the cost of love and Cupid cannot make things any better while he also languishes in her pain. This artwork received its share of critics with some art critics emphasizing the spare construction that makes it look less than art. The use of brushstrokes makes the painting look more stained and the naked figures are spreading the vices of erotism. Edvard Munch only cared about his art and he continued to produce fine pieces of works even as he continued to grow old. Through this painting, Munch teaches the younger generations of the mythological Greek Gods and thus educating the important life lessons we can learn from them.