Our local travel group of nearly 70 excited voyagers went on a rendezvous to France this fall. Because of the number of people, we were divided into two groups to allow us to have a magnificent experience. Our group of 37 was group one. We would meet group two in passing and at our farewell dinner. After arriving in Paris, we boarded our bus at the busy airport and mentally prepared ourselves to step out of reality and explore a country known for its beautiful art and architecture.
Our 10 day adventure began in the royal borough of Versailles and ended in Paris. We visited many historical and breathtaking cities and sites in between.
As our skilled driver navigated the winding streets and roads, we enjoyed the picturesque sites and beautiful trees. Our energetic and knowledgeable tour guide made sure we made the most of our experience. Every morning, she greeted us with “Bonjour, comment ca va?” We answered in unison “Tres bien, merci.”
For most of us, it was our first trip and visiting the beautiful Louvre Museum was on the bucket list. The Louvre, located on the Right Bank of the Siene River, is one of the most famous museums in the world. It is home to some of the world’s most iconic pieces of art. My two older late brothers were artists; one a sculptor, therefore art was a constant conversation piece in our household. Whether I wanted to or not, I heard about the Renaissance period with famous artists like Leonardo da Vinci, Michelangelo, and Raphael, but didn’t fully embrace the information.
Understanding any story is a matter of retelling it to find a plot. After I returned from France, I decided to share some memorable moments and transformative experiences. See some previous blog posts.
The Louvre Museum is a national art museum in Paris. It’s housed in the Louvre Palace and was originally built in the late 12th to 13th century under King Philip II. It is home to some of the most canonical works of Western art, including the Mona Lisa and Winged Victory.
King Charles expanded the fortress into a royal residence by adding towers, walls, and moats. King Francis 1 destroyed the central tower and rebuilt it as an Italian palace. He invited Leonardo da Vinci to the French court and bought the Mona Lisa from him. Her picture was installed in the Louvre at the turn of the 19th century.
The building was redesigned many times to form the present Louvre Place. In 1682, Louis X1V chose the Palace of Versailles for his household. This left the Louvre as a place to display the royal collection of ancient Greek and Roman sculptures. During the French Revolution, the National Assembly decreed that the Louvre should be used as a museum to display the nation’s masterpieces.
The Mona Lisa is the museum’s most famous painting by Leonardo da Vinca. I was excited to visit Paris, but chose not to join jostling spectators to see a small painting of a woman hanging behind bullet proof glass. As patronage of the Louvre grew so did the recognition of da Vinca’s painting. The visit to beautiful Versailles Palace on our first day was crowded enough for me.
In spite of the crowds, most visitors to the Louvre are there to see the famous Mona Lisa and her unique smile. Her eyes are the center of the viewer’s attention and her mouth is the periphery. Leonardo da Vinci used different tones of paint to create an illusion of light and shadow. He built the illusion of three-dimensional features through layers of thin semi-transparent glazes. His techniques ensured that both the eyes and mouth were prominent. When viewers look at the eyes, the mouth falls under the viewer’s peripheral vision. Shading at the cheekbones makes the mouth look like a smile. When viewers focus on the mouth, the smile slowly disappears. The landscapes in the background intrigued the art community and viewers. I believe my brothers would be proud I did the research!
On our last day in Paris, our bus driver and tour guide took us on a panoramic tour of the city to view the iconic sights. Some of our fellow travelers were excited at the chance France, and he came prepared to capture iconic moments. His Sony camera was a permanent fixture around his neck. At each place we visited, he seemed to disappear so he could capture the amazing sites and moments. When we got to the stop for the Louvre, he and several other adventurous travelers exited the bus and went on their separate two hour excursion.
Since it was our last night in Paris, we were to meet at the Eiffel Tower, the tall and powerful symbol of Paris, for our farewell dinner later. At the designated meeting time, our travel mates met us outside. It was a cool night and we huddled close together as we waited in line to enter the tower with hundreds of other wide-eyed visitors. The huge structure was now covered with thousands of sparkling lights. After security checks, we packed on small elevators that one carry us to the first floor. We had dinner reservations at the infamous Madame Brasserie Restaurant.
Fortunately, our photographer travel mate and I sat at the same table for dinner, so we had time to chat and share moments. I shared my love of writing and he shared his love of photography. I was curious to know if he had a favorite image he captured during our time in France. He agreed to share his favorite photo with me, and I accepted a self-imposed challenge to bring it to life. I wanted to grow as a writer and expand my genres. What better way to grow than to write about an image captured by the camera of a person I recently met!
About three weeks after we returned home, he shared some favorite images from his large digital photo album. They were all captivating with their own stories, but I was interested in writing about only one to start. When we discussed the pictures, one picture apparently captured the attention of both of us. I love picturesque landscapes, wildlife, and architecture scenes and expected one of those images to be the winning photo. I was surprised by the image that caught both our eyes. I didn’t understand why yet but knew there had to be an intriguing story behind this eye-catching masterpiece.
At the Louvre, his camera lens captured a stunning image of a beautiful sculpture. It expressed the artist’s artistic ability and understanding of human physique. After all, it was France! Neither one of us knew the name of the erotic, but not obscene, looking statue or its’ creator. He shared that due to the crowd, he was not able to capture information about the statue or artist. This made it more difficult, however the self- imposed challenge was on!
My research consisted of finding the name of this beautiful statue, its artist, and meaning. Without knowing the name, I searched for erotic sculptures at the Louvre. Eventually, an image of this unique statue appeared. The statue is Mercury and Psyche by Adriaen de Vries, a Mannerist sculptor. Sixteenth century Mannerism is known for elongated forms. The sculptor was completed in 1593 and the spirally figures and sense of movement captured the compositional skills of the sculptor. I learned the Louvre acquired a plaster cast of the sculpture in 1865.
This sensual and elegant sculptor depicts the mythological story of Psyche, a beautiful but lonely woman who was admired by men. Unfortunately, she was hated by many women because of her beauty. Her two sisters were happily married but men were intimidated by her. This unique story is one of the most beautiful stories in all literature. In spite of the crowd, our photographer travel mate captured a perfect shot of the fascinating spiral shaped sculpture!
The monumental bronze sculpture is a masterpiece that captures a significant moment from Greek mythology. It shows grace and movement from Mercury and Psyche. Their athletic and long legged bodies are entwined in a harmonious pose as if one. This gives the illusion that they are lovers, but they are not. Erotic imaging depicts the brilliance of the sculptor while telling a different story. The sculpture is a masterpiece that captures a significant moment from Greek mythology. Mercury, a winged messenger of the gods, is capturing the stunning Psyche so she can be united with her true love, Cupid.
Mercury is in a strong and purposeful pose as he interacts with a trusting Psyche. The wings on his cap and heels signify swiftness. Their bodies are wrapped together in a strong sense of urgency. As she’s being lifted, she’s relaxed and holding a cup in her right hand. This gives the impression the bottle is significant. The sculpture represents grace and movement that is visually captivating, like two different instruments hitting the same note!
Now I’m intrigued and researched further. There are many stories about Psyche. To understand the sculpture, it helps to know the mythological story. Psyche translates to soul. Our souls journey through many trails and challenges in life.
According to legend, Psyche is so beautiful that the jealous goddess, Venus, commands her son Cupid (also known as Eros), to make her fall in love with a man described as looking like a monster. Cupid was the Roman God of romantic love and desires. He was known for his magic arrows that cause others, if hit, fall in love the first person they see. He went to Psyche’s bedchamber and was overcome by her beauty. After touching her with the point of his arrow; she awoke and looked in his direction. She couldn’t see him because he was invisible, but Cupid was startled. He accidently pricked himself with his own arrow, and fell in love with her, a mortal princess whose beauty is greater than Venus.
Psyche didn’t know Cupid had fallen in love with her. Psyche’s father wanted the best for his youngest daughter and asked the gods to give her a husband. He was told to dress her in ritual clothes and meet her husband high on a mountain. His wife reluctantly agreed to this arrangement.
Accepting her fate, Psyche agreed to be led to Mount Olympia, where she was left to await her monster looking husband. He forbade her to look at him but joined her in their marital bed during the darkness of night and left before sunrise. Unknown to her, her bed mate was really Cupid. Gradually, she looked forward to her husband’s visits but yearned to visit her sisters. He agreed to this arrangement but warned her again not to look at him. After all, she thought she had married someone else, thought to look like a monster.
Her envious sisters were jealous she was living in a lavish palace and they were suspicious of a man Psyche hadn’t seen. Since she was now pregnant, they convinced her to take a peek at him. She tried to resist but she was curious. That night after her husband had fallen asleep; she took the lantern and looked at him. What she saw was not a monster she thought she married, but the god Cupid. As she leaned over for better view, a drop of burning oil from the lantern fell on his shoulder. Without a word, Cupid leapt out of bed, spread his wings and flew out of the window. He felt betrayed and went back to his mother’s house.
Heartbroken, Psyche went on a harrowing journey to win back her husband .Venus was furious Cupid had married Psyche. Since Psyche broke her promise, Venus gave her a series of near impossible missions to carry out, but she was determined to win back her beloved Cupid. This symbolizes growth of the soul and the daunting tasks the soul would do for love.
The most daunting task was to go to the mythical underworld to bring back a beauty cream from Queen Persephone. This symbolizes the obstacles encountered before reuniting with one’s true love.
Cupid missed Psyche and approached the god Jupiter to ask for help. He agreed and calls Mercury to help. Eventually, the god Jupiter intervenes and convinces Venus to allow Psyche and Cupid to be married. She was given a cup of ambrosia by Jupiter to make her immortal. He sends Mercury the messenger of gods and god of translators and interpreters, to bring her back to Mount Olympus.
The sculpture also represents Mercury’s strength and the concept of the soul being guided to the divine realm. His willingness to help facilitated Psyche’s union with Cupid. Still holding her beauty cup, Mercury carried Psyche to Mount Olympus to be reunited with her beloved Cupid. They reconciled and had a lawful marriage. Cupid wanted Psyche to love him as an equal than adore him as a god. Their daughter, Pleasure, was born shortly afterwards.
This story has been depicted in art since the 4th century BCE. Writers have looked at the story as an allegory about human soul. Some writers looked at the story from a Christian perspective and compares Psyche (mind and soul) to biblical characters.
According to some authors, the underlying message of this beautiful love story is that love can overcome any obstacle. Without trust, there can be no love.
Ancient myths can provide a window and offer insights into our own lives. It’s a story not only of love but trust, kindness, and perseverance. Cupid and Psyche endured many trials and tribulations before being reunited in love. They worked together to overcome challenges. Emotions can be complex, but we must learn to handle them appropriately. Love can be lost but regained.
Sometimes, fear prevents us from seeking or receiving love. Cupid was a god and Psyche was a mortal, but their differences didn’t prevent them from building authentic and strong relationships. Because of this, this inspirational story can be more than a myth.
I give thanks to our travel mate, the photographer, for sharing his artistic images and capturing the beautiful image of Mercury and Psyche. This allowed me to research, get out of my comfort zone, and trust myself enough to write about and share this beautiful love story. It was definitely a learning experience!
Until next time!
Francie Mae. December 13, 2024.
References
Britannica.com. “Understanding Paintings. The Mona Lisa-what’s the big deal? ” December 27, 2009. Website. Accessed December 8, 2024.
Mark, Harrison W. World History Encyclopedia. Worldhistory.org. “Psyche.” January 21, 2022. Website .Accessed December 8, 2024.
Philip S. Photo: “Cupid and Pysche.” Photographer and Travel Mate to France. November 10, 2024.
Royal Collection Trust. “Cupid and Psyche, C. 1695-7. Story by Apuleius.” Website. Accessed December 9, 2024.
Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. “Psyche (Mythology).” Accessed December 12, 2024.