Not many romantics out there — or not many willing to suggest their favorite romantic/erotic painting to Real Clear Arts. As I mentioned yesterday, I thought I’d post a picture or two in honor of Valentine’s Day.
I could go the Picasso route, choosing something from the erotica show that packed the Jeu de Paume in 2001: it included about works on paper — drawings, etchings and gouaches, plus paintings, sculptures and ceramics. I remember trying to fight the crowds there to get close to the works. That didn’t come to the U.S. but did travel to the Museum of Fine Arts in Montreal.
No, I decided to go elsewhere, to take a more subtle tack — to the Cleveland Museum of Art, which acquired Jacques-Louis David’s Cupid and Psyche (1817) in 1962. I love the delicious, amused expression on Cupid’s face, not to mention David’s gorgeous depiction of youthful flesh.
As the museum’s website describes it:
Here, David depicted Cupid trying to slip away from his lover’s bed. Smitten with Psyche, Cupid had whisked the mortal to his palace, visiting her only in the darkness of night, warning her that she must never see his face. Thus, he always stole from their bed before sunrise. In this painting, however, his wing is trapped beneath her body and his knowing, almost comical gaze communicates his plight.
The whole thing works for me.
The same scene, btw, proved an inspiration for many artists, some of whose work is illustrated on the Wikipedia page for “Cupid and Psyche.”
UPDATE, 2/14: Finally, a few nominations from readers: “The Kiss” by Klimt (which is here) and Rubens’s “Honeysuckle Bower” (which you can see here).
UPDATE, 2/17: Another reader writes: “By far the most wonderful Valentine art work is the whole of Harry Callahan’s Eleanor series. His love for her suffuses years of work and the photos are lovely, too.” (You can see the book cover here.)
Photo Credit: Courtesy Cleveland Museum of Art