Amor and Psyche, children

The First Kiss is the popular title by which this work by William-Adolphe Bouguereau, painted in oil on canvas in 1890, is now known. Its original title, L'Amour et Psyché, enfants, means roughly Cupid and Psyche, children, and refers to the moment the two protagonists of the myth share an embrace and a kiss. The more widespread name comes from an erroneous cataloguing by a website, which added a date that does not belong to the work and ended up establishing a title that does not match the original.

The scene shows Cupid and Psyche as small children, almost babies, rather than the young lovers of the usual tradition. Bouguereau chose this age to stress the innocence of the pair, before the complications Venus would later bring. Psyche wears butterfly wings, an allusion to the Greek word for butterfly, which was also linked to the soul and its transformation into an immortal being.

The composition is long and vertical. Cupid rests one leg on a cloud that balances the whole arrangement, and the bodies intertwine in soft embraces. The dominant palette is blue, an unusual choice for a love story, which keeps the work away from forbidden passion and closer to a light, youthful affection. The luminous flesh and velvety handling complete an image that is delicate and carefully finished.

Painter

William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Date

1890

Medium

oil paint, canvas

Dimensions

121 × 73 cm

Movement

academic art

Genre

mythological painting, nude

Depicts

nudity, Eros, waist-length hair, bird's wing, blond hair, couple, insect wing, putto

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