03 — ARTWORK
Cupid and Psyche
- MEDIUM
- Oil on canvas, 186 x 132 cm
- TYPE
- Mythological
PALETTE
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THIS REPRODUCTION
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CURRENT LOCATION · Musée du Louvre
- FILE
- 850 × 1206 px · JPEG
COMMENTARY
UNDERLINED TERMS ARE DEFINED IN THE GLOSSARY.
The second generation of the Neoclassical style cultivated an aestheticism of beautiful physique that seemed to be trying to discover the limits of what was feasible. The new intention was already evident in Gérard's Cupid and Psyche, which was shown in the SalonIn the French language of the 18th and 19th centuries it designated an actual exhibition space, as well as the academic art exhibitions staged in the Salon d'Apollon of the Louvre since 1667. From 1737, the exhibitions took place biennially and, after the French Revolution, annually in the Salon Carré of the Louvre in Paris. Towards the end of the 19th century the official Salon jury was dissolved in order to make way for a committee of state-approved artists, i.e. former Salon members, who created the highly influential Société des Artistes Français. of 1798. The intention was to take physical beauty, line, composition, colour and delicacy of the handling of flesh to perfection.
Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 4 minutes):
Francesco Gasparini: The Meddlesome Cupid, aria
OTHER WORKS BY FRANÇOIS GÉRARD
CITE THIS RECORD — BIBTEX
@online{wga-r2cf04bf5936490,
author = {Krén, Emil and Marx, Daniel},
title = {Cupid and Psyche by GÉRARD, François},
organization = {{Web Gallery of Art}},
date = {2026-09-14},
url = {https://beta.wga.hu/artists/grard-franois-r9ec8f0d56af929/cupid-and-psyche-r2cf04bf5936490},
urldate = {2026-09-14},
langid = {english}
}ACCESSED 2026-09-14. REPLACE THE AUTHOR FIELD WITH THE COMMENTARY AUTHOR WHERE ONE IS NAMED.