Antonio Canova Psyche Revived By Cupid's Kiss
Antonio Canova, a successful Italian sculptor from the Republic of Venice, was known for his enchanting sculptures that I consider to be the essence of Neoclassicism. The neoclassical style influenced almost all European masterpieces including architecture, paintings and sculptures, in the eighteenth century, also known as the Age of Enlightenment. It constitutes as the heart of classic antiquity that was inspired by the classical period. This approach to art continues to impact the architecture constructed today. The artist I am focusing on, Antonio Canova, is studied as the greatest neoclassical sculptor for his brilliant carvings of nude marble mythological fellows. One classic in particular is Canova’s Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss,
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He rooted his fame in Rome by designing Theseus Vanquishing the Minotaur, which can now be found in London at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Canova also traveled to France and England, where he would promote his works and establish himself as a widely known artist, although he never neglected Rome as his home. His last projects continued to award Italy with admiration and his masterpieces would be recognized all over the country.
Antonio Canova’s Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss is a sculpture showing a mythical creature, Cupid, who can be identified by his wings and arrows, and an unconscious female named Psyche. The masterpiece presents the two nude on a rock, telling the story of how curiosity got the best of one of the lovers. Psyche had opened a forbidden flask from the underworld and fell into a deathly sleep. As you can see in the sculpture, Cupid is caressing Psyche who is faintly embracing her lover by trying to take his head in her hands as she slowly sinks into her death. This masterpiece by Canova was inspired from a legend told by the Latin author, Apuleius. At the ending of the fantasy, the gods decide to stipend Cupid with the gift of immortality to Psyche, allowing him to marry his love who is now the goddess of the soul. The sculpture is an exceptionally strong work of art, depicting the most powerful detail in the story of Cupid and Psyche, which took an “extensive amount of research” (Draper) for Antonio Canova in order to achieve such an exquisite portrayal of this factor in the
He rooted his fame in Rome by designing Theseus Vanquishing the Minotaur, which can now be found in London at the Victoria and Albert Museum. Canova also traveled to France and England, where he would promote his works and establish himself as a widely known artist, although he never neglected Rome as his home. His last projects continued to award Italy with admiration and his masterpieces would be recognized all over the country.
Antonio Canova’s Psyche Revived by Cupid’s Kiss is a sculpture showing a mythical creature, Cupid, who can be identified by his wings and arrows, and an unconscious female named Psyche. The masterpiece presents the two nude on a rock, telling the story of how curiosity got the best of one of the lovers. Psyche had opened a forbidden flask from the underworld and fell into a deathly sleep. As you can see in the sculpture, Cupid is caressing Psyche who is faintly embracing her lover by trying to take his head in her hands as she slowly sinks into her death. This masterpiece by Canova was inspired from a legend told by the Latin author, Apuleius. At the ending of the fantasy, the gods decide to stipend Cupid with the gift of immortality to Psyche, allowing him to marry his love who is now the goddess of the soul. The sculpture is an exceptionally strong work of art, depicting the most powerful detail in the story of Cupid and Psyche, which took an “extensive amount of research” (Draper) for Antonio Canova in order to achieve such an exquisite portrayal of this factor in the