Cupid and Psyche – François Gérard (1798)
First exhibited at the Salon of 1798, Cupid and Psyche is a neoclassical allegory inspired by a passage in Apuleius’ The Golden Ass. Gérard—a pupil of Jacques-Louis David—depicts the mystical kiss between Cupid and Psyche, seen but not yet fully revealed to her. The idyllic landscape in the background and the idealized figures embody refined neoclassicism, while the butterfly above Psyche’s head symbolizes the soul’s transformation.
The mood is both tender and emotionally charged: restrained gestures and Psyche’s distant gaze suggest a delicate balance between innocence and awakening passion.
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