Subject Matter explication on Cupid and Psyche.

Appreciation of art is beyond just seeing the esthetics of a piece. The main key to fully appreciate art is to understand and value what is behind an art piece. Most of the times, the message is not clear due to the use of symbolism. Some other times, the art piece is clear and only requires some research. This is the case in this subject. Cupid and Psyche is a love story extracted from the Golden Ass also known as The Metamorphoses written by Lucius Apuleius during the second century (A.D). Like many of the Greek myths, the story is full of allegories that represent life itself.

Psyche was a princess whose incomparable beauty made her popular among mortals and Gods. Men and women from distant towns came to see the incomparable beauty of the young virgin, who in some occasions was referred as "a goddess. The beauty of Psyche eclipsed even Venus, the goddess of love, in such a way that her temples were deserted, and almost nobody praised her. This caused jealousy and fury in Venus, who, in response sent her son Cupid to make Psyche fall in love with the most despicable man she could find. "My dear son, punish that contumacious beauty; give thy mother a revenge as sweet as her injuries are great; infuse into the bosom of that haughty girl a passion for some low, mean, unworthy being, so that she may reap a mortification as great as her present exultation and triumph."(Bulfinch, 3). Cupid was determined to follow his mother's orders, but to his surprise, he fell in love with Psyche's beauty and charm. " Even though the beauty of Psyche had fascinated many, no man presented himself to demand her in marriage. Her worried parents checked with the oracle of Apollo, only...