Two Cupids with Red Drapery 1850

Curator: Before us hangs "Two Cupids with Red Drapery", an oil painting rendered around 1850 by Honoré Daumier. It is currently held in a private collection. Editor: My first impression is a sense of furtive play. The figures emerge from the chiaroscuro, their gestures towards something unseen just out of reach creating this contained kinetic energy. Curator: The red drapery acts as a potent visual fulcrum. Its bold coloration divides the tonal range while visually unifying the figures in a semiotic dance of desire. Daumier brilliantly contrasts the soft modeling of the cherubic forms with the strong, gestural brushwork forming the enveloping darkness. Editor: Yes, it's all rather ambiguous. The cupids themselves traditionally symbolize love and desire. Given the classical drapery and shadowy, indefinite space, one gets a palpable feeling of stolen moments and concealed intent, perhaps love found illicitly. The unseen object of their desire, located outside of the picture plane, speaks to the idea of yearnings unfulfilled, even, a warning regarding their nature. Curator: I’m also drawn to the compositional symmetry, the balanced forms mirrored, subtly varied. It isn't about perfect duplication, but rather a resonant echoing, an interplay. Notice, also, the interesting, nearly academic modeling, coupled with his quick, almost impressionistic use of the paint itself. There is a real formal tension there. Editor: Their struggle adds layers; it's a human yearning. This particular choice of staging the story, these mythological figures, provides another interesting level, doesn't it? These are universal experiences represented using classical, and so therefore culturally approved, models. Curator: It all becomes another visual echo. A masterful command of light and dark gives the forms a remarkable sculptural presence, emphasizing their weight and mass. Editor: Ultimately, this work captures that tension of seeking a feeling always just outside of immediate reach, of the push and pull so emblematic of romantic connections. It's a sentiment made visually poetic through Daumier's capable brush. Curator: Precisely. A fitting synthesis of Daumier's understanding of the human condition and classical formalism.