Love, a favorite art subject, continues to speak to the human soul despite social and cultural changes. With Valentine’s Day approaching, reflecting on how an age-old myth such as Cupid and Psyche can dialogue with today’s love dynamics is intriguing. These days, dating apps such as Tinder, Bumble, and Grindr dominate. On the contrary, love myths have been told, painted, and sculpted for centuries. A famous version is Antonio Canova’s statue, Love and Psyche, preserved in the Louvre in Paris. With its delicacy and depth, the painted version of Cupid and Psyche, by Jacques-Louis David, offers a cue for understanding the contrast between an idealized love and contemporary reality, where relationships are often born through a screen. Despite period differences, the human desire to find authentic connections seems constant.

David, the history painter

Jacques-Louis David, a master of Neoclassicism, stands out for his rigorous style and ability to tell universal stories. Born in 1748, he is known for civil and political works such as The Oath of the Horatii and The Death of Marat. These paintings exemplify the ethos of the Revolutionary Age, celebrating personal sacrifice for the common good. However, toward the end of his career, after the fall of Napoleon, whose court painter he was, and his exile to Brussels, David turned to more intimate and mythological subjects.

In Cupid and Psyche, painted in 1817, a delicate lyricism and attention to detail emerge. These elements differ from the solemnity and theatricality of his more famous works. The contours are sharp, the colors soft, and the composition balanced. The painting embodies purity and emotion, conveying a profound intimacy between the protagonists. The mythological setting allows the artist to explore the universal nature of love, a theme that transcends time and space.

The origin of a Universal Love

The myth of Cupid and Psyche told in Apuleius‘ The Golden Axe, is a story of love and redemption that has fascinated artists and writers for centuries. Psyche, a human of extraordinary beauty, attracts the fury of Venus, who orders her son Cupid to make her fall in love with a horrible man. However, when Cupid sees Psyche, he falls in love with her and visits her every night without revealing his identity. This secret love is endangered by the curiosity of Psyche, who, driven by the desire to find out who her mysterious lover is, breaks the rule of never looking at him.

The discovery leads to a painful separation, but Psyche, determined to reconnect with Cupid, faces a series of impossible trials imposed by Venus. These challenges, which include descending to the underworld to collect a fragment of divine beauty, also represent Psyche’s inner journey and her transformation from an insecure mortal to a heroic figure. In the end, Jupiter intercedes, conceding Psyche immortality and allowing her eternal union with Cupid.

Cupid and Psyche: The Smile of Conquest

In David’s painting, the moment portrayed overflows with sweetness and passion. The figures of Cupid and Psyche intertwine in an intimate and tender embrace, representing an ideal of perfect and spiritual love. Psyche sleeps blissfully leaning against her beloved, Cupid, who shows the viewer a pleased expression of his conquest. He appears like a young boy with a crafty gaze in the fervor of adolescence. He always has his bow at hand despite no sign on his arrows.

The two butterflies that appear beside the protagonists, one flying over Psyche’s head and one carved on the edge of the bed, add another symbolic layer. They represent the soul and transformation, recalling the etymological meaning of “Psyche” as “soul” in Greek. With their ephemeral nature and capacity for metamorphosis, they also evoke love’s fragility and beauty. The painting traveled through several European courts from the painter’s Brussels studio. The painting is in the Cleveland Museum of Art in the United States today.

Love at first Swipe

Cupid has hung up his bow and arrows by digitalizing himself: today, love often begins with a swipe. This simple and iconic gesture involves sliding the finger across the screen to express interest (to the right) or rejection (to the left) in users who appear. With their quick and intuitive operation, dating apps are redefining how we connect.

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Among them, Tinder (which at the end of each year predicts the trends of future seasons of love) is the most famous. Here, a profile is judged in seconds: a photo, a brief description, and you’re done. It is the realm of quick encounters and visual attraction. OkCupid, on the other hand, prefers a more thoughtful approach, basing matches on affinities and interests that emerge from detailed questionnaires. Bumble puts women at the center, leaving it up to them to initiate the conversation. Grindr, meanwhile, targets the LGBTQ+ community and focuses on geolocalized dating.

Behind the simpleness of the swipe is the complexity of human emotions. As in the myth of Psyche, love never comes without obstacles. While apps promise immediate connections, they also require patience and authenticity to become a real relationship. Personal insecurities, ghosting, and divergent expectations are the modern trials to overcome.

Even in the digital age, loving remains an act of trust and courage. A match can be born with a finger, but building something authentic takes time and dedication.