Art 106 Project

For our Art 106 class, we went to the Norton Simon Museum and were able to experience an event in which today's society takes for granted; the existence of art. With this trip, the class was able to not only view various artworks from an array of time lines but to also focus on one that has captured our attention and to go further in depth with the details behind the artwork, to the artist and his intentions themselves. The one that captured my eye was The Abduction of Psyche by Zephyr to the Palace of Eros by Pierre Paul Prud'hon, in which the well known mythological story, Cupid and Psyche, are portrayed. Here is a picture of the vivid yet calm artwork:

The Abduction of Psyche by Zephyr to the Palace of  Eros, 1808. Oil on Canvas.



To start off, it would be best to explain the story within the picture. The viewer is easily able to interpret the major concept of the picture based on the title of the work itself; basically, the abduction of beautiful Psyche by the west wind, Zephyr to take to Eros. It is a well known mythological story but it is summarized in the next video clip, along with pictures. For your entertainment and for this educational purpose, I present the story of Eros and Psyche:

Now that we have an idea of what the artwork portrays, we shall begin discussing the creator of this exquisite piece of work, Pierre Paul Prud'hon. According to the Columbia Encyclopedia, in 1758, the soon to be famous French portraiture and historical artist was born into a big family; himself being the 13^th child. Not much is known about his childhood; however, in his latter years, he received training in Dijon Academy, from where he proved to be an excellent student, for he obtained a scholarship to go to Rome in 1784. There, he became acquainted with Antonio Canova, one of the most successful Italian sculptors and from Leonardo Di Vinci, he learned to use the technique of sfumato, the blending of colors or tones in which they seem to fade into each other. From Correggio, an Italian painter, Pierre learned another artistic technique, in which he incorporated light and dark into his work; one of his significant trademarks in order to create a softness in his art pieces. In 1788 he returned to Paris and spend many years being commissioned by Napoleon for many different assignments, such as portraits, ceiling decorations and allegorical paintings including the Gallery of Laocoön of the Louvre. As The Concise Oxford Dictionary of Art and Artists emphasizes, Prud’hon depicted Josephine, Napoleon’s wife beautifully, for it was one of his most famous paintings (1805); however, after their divorce, he painted his next wife, Marie-Louise around 1810. Initially, he gained recognition in 1796 with Truth Descending from the Heavens Led by Wisdom. As time passed, another painting in which brought him recognition was his Crime Pursued by Divine Vengeance and Justice (1808). Unfortunately, nowadays, the majority of his canvases have deteriorated due to his usage of bitumen pigments, which is an oil used to make a rich brown paint. The little that is known about his private life is tragic. He suffered an unfortunate marriage when he was younger, around his late twenties. Also, in 1821, the suicide of his lover and student, Constance Mayer led to his inflaming depression, in which he ceased to paint, and two years later, led to his own demise in 1823. However, his death was not in vain; Pierre Paul Prud’hon and his unique style contrasted to the dominant Neoclassicism, which was classified with Jacques-Louis David. Although his paintings mainly correlated with classical themes and subject matter, but the emotions felt and seen in his paintings were characterized by Romanticism, which places an emphasis on strong emotional moods. Prud’hon was able to make the transition from the Neoclassicism in the late 18^th century to the Romanticism in the early 19^th century. Today, his artworks can be found in many different museums such as the Metropolitan Museum and the Louvre Wallace Collection.

The Abduction of Psyche by Zephyr to the Palace of Eros was based off of an original; this masterful art piece is now in Louvre, although it retains to be a sculpture instead of the many portrayed replicas of this mythological story:

In order to analyze the consistency of Pierre's artistic techniques, here are a few examples of his most noted art pieces:

Portrait of  Empress Joséphine. 1805.  Oil on canvas

Crime Pursued by Divine Vengeance and Justice (1808), Oil on canvas.



Prud'hon also had an interest in painting female nudes with simple art materials such as charcoal and chalk

By viewing his many famous artworks, it is evident that he specializes in incorporating shadows, yet making light appear in contrast. This art technique is used commonly yet the emotional sense he is able to demonstrate in his paintings is what makes his distinguished from the other painters of his time; with this, Pierre was able to blend the colors he used to be able to create a softness to his drawing, or sfumato, to make the paintings not only look more realistic, but to exemplify the mood of the portrait itself. Also, by seeing the titles of his art pieces, Pierre Paul Prud'hon usually incorporates the subjects of his art pieces to be symbols of attributes such as love, innocence or crime; his use of personification is a trademark in which many artists have recognized him by. As shown above, Prud'hon was not only interested in painting with oils, but he also took an interest with charcoal and chalk, from which he was able to depict the human body significantly well. Although he mainly focused on female nudes, Pierre also drew males in which he was able to demonstrate both the softness and the rigidness of a human body. From these small techniques, Pierre Paul Prud'hon was able to demonstrate his own art form in which is highly recognized today; for he was the artist who was able to demonstrate both Neoclassicism and Romanticism trade marks.

One of the main reasons why Pierre Paul Prud'hon's The Abduction of Psyche by Zephyr to the Palace of Eros caught my attention was because of how brilliantly the light of the picture contrasted the dark background. I first saw it as I took a picture of it and on my camera, this significant picture did not seem like a picture; it seems more life like, almost digitalized by the sfumato used. Also, as I noticed the mythological characters portrayed in this painting, I was delighted to find that one of my favorite mythological story had been used, yet it was visually portrayed instead of verbally. The story itself enchanted me in which Love or Eros himself, the giver of love was able to feel what he freely gives. Also, despite the conflict among Eros and Psyche in concerns with trust, I believe it portrays a deeper meaning in which is not clearly understood today; in order to be able to live with love, one must not doubt it or take it for granted because it is one of the most beloved gifts one can obtain during their lifetime.

From both his research project and the art class itself, I have learned a significant amount of art and its many appliances. There are many ways of creating art and even more ways of creating your own significant, special techniques. Many artists are able to express their emotions through their artwork, efficiently having the ability and technique to make the viewer be able to read between the lines of their paintings and see the truth of their intentions. By inputting their emotions and personal experiences, the artists incorporate themselves in their artworks, their inner most self. Although I am not an distinguished artist myself, I do enjoy drawing but my true passion is writing; being able to express myself in words rather than images has enlightened me in my quest to become an author, since these artists have taken their talent and trained themselves to their uttermost capabilities, I too feel obligated to do the same with my career course and encourage others to follow their passions.