Cupid Asleep c. 16th century

Editor: Here we have Cupid Asleep, an anonymous print from the Harvard Art Museums. The details are incredible for such a small piece. What stands out to you? Curator: I see an intriguing commentary on labor. Cupid, the god of desire, is rendered powerless, his tools discarded. The printmaking process itself, the labor of the engraver, contrasts with the idle Cupid. Editor: So, you're saying the artist's work highlights Cupid's lack of it? Curator: Precisely. The materiality of the ink and paper becomes a stand-in for the absent energy of the god. The means of production become the message. Editor: That’s a fascinating way to look at it. It makes me think differently about the artist's role. Curator: Indeed, art's meaning is in its making as much as its subject.