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From the first sketch to the final varnish, Cupid and Psyche is made by hand. Based on Edvard Munch's original. This expressionist oil painting wall decor is crafted on artist-grade canvas for anyone who wants fine art oil painting with the character of an original.
1907
Oil on canvas
119.5 cm (47.05 in.) x 99 cm (38.98 in.)
Munch-museet, Oslo, Norway.
Cupid and Psyche by Edvard Munch hangs at the Munch Museum in Oslo. It was loaned to the D’Orsay as part of an exhibition called Crime and Punishment, which was organized around the death penalty and the crimes which call for the death penalty. The painting shows two figures, a man and a woman, both naked. There is a spiral staircase to the left, barely visible, and including almost the only horizontal strokes in the painting. The painting seems to be made of vertical strips of paint, and the details of face and figure are sketchy.
The story of Cupid and Psyche is one of the powerful jealousy and hatred of the Greek Gods, and the efforts of mortals to cope with that jealousy. Here is a version from the Roman Lucius Apuleius, translated by Bullfinch. The story is the basis for several fairy tales, including Beauty and the Beast. The key is that Psyche marries the God, but he only comes to her at night, and she is not allowed to see him. Egged on by her jealous sisters, she violates this rule, and looks at him by lamplight. A drop of oil falls from the lamp and wakes Cupid. He leaves, and the rest of the story is the trials she undergoes to restore their relationship.
At the end, Venus sends Psyche to the Underworld to get a box of beauty from Persephone, the Goddess there. She does everything right, but as she is ascending, she opens the box to take a bit of the beauty for herself. It turns out to be a deep sleep instead of beauty. Cupid rescues her. . . .
I think this painting shows her at that point, standing before Cupid with her injuries, both to her body and her spirit. The painting, despite it’s spare construction, shows the concern of Cupid for her injuries through his posture, and her regret through her body language. Even though he is a God, he cannot make this better. They have to live with these injuries.
The relevance to the main theme of the exhibition isn’t obvious. Perhaps a place to start is to think about the sins of the Greek Gods. Their crimes against mortals arise from their passions, which are similar to those of mere humans but magnified a hundred-fold. Crimes of passion, including the violence directed at Psyche by Venus, are inexplicable, and their impact on the innocent can be overwhelming.
The wounds here are to the spirit as well as the body. The blood around Psyche’s eyes evidences the cost of love. In the story, Cupid also suffers the wounds of love, and takes to his sick bed when Psyche disobeys his instructions. In one version, he no longer flies about sending his arrows to move creation to love, so that plants, animals and people languish, and the world loses its life force and starts to die. We can see that injury as an alternative interpretation of Cupid’s posture. Both are injured in the search for love, and both survive to live out that love.
As hallway wall art, the piece pairs naturally with other expressionist wall art and with warm neutrals, timber, and soft natural light.
From primer to varnish, the work is done manually on artist-grade canvas. The absence of digital printing is deliberate: it keeps the fine art brushwork visible and gives the expressionist oil painting wall decor a museum-like finish.
As hallway wall art, this canvas brings color and texture without visual noise. It scales well from a small study to a large hallway feature wall, and it is a reliable choice when shopping for fine art oil painting as a gift.
Whether the search term is fine art oil painting, hallway wall art, or expressionist oil painting wall decor, this hand painted canvas delivers the same thing: a real painted surface, made to your chosen dimensions.
| Size | Price |
|---|---|
| 20 X 24 in | $68.48 |
| 24 X 36 in | $106.48 |
| 30 X 40 in | $146.98 |
| 36 X 48 in | $195.48 |
| 48 X 72 in | $379.98 |
The sizes shown are the reproduction canvas sizes we paint to order. The dimensions given in a work's description refer to the original artwork and will differ from the sizes offered here. Not sure? Read the size guide or e-mail us.
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Every canvas is painted by hand in oils on artist-grade stretched canvas, with an extra blank border left for framing. How to care for your painting.
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