Feb 7
Cupid and Psyche
Artist: Benjamin West (American, 1738-1820)
Date: 1808
Medium: Oil on canvas
Collection: Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art, Bentonville, AR, United States
Description
Benjamin West was the first artist born in the colonies to achieve international fame. Here, he depicts the love affair between Cupid, a god, and Psyche, a mortal. Details - including a silver urn at Psyche’s feet, birds engaged in airborne struggle, and a menacing sea serpent - allude to the difficult tasks Venus, Cupid’s mother, assigned Psyche as prerequisites for uniting the two lovers. This allegory of youthful awakening and triumph over adversity can be seen to express West’s sense of pride in the coming of age of the American nation.
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