Dimensions: support: 1886 x 597 mm frame: 2215 x 933 x 83 mm
Copyright: CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Watts’s "Psyche" presents us with a figure drawn from classical myth. Editor: She looks… fragile. Almost defeated. The way she hangs her head suggests a deep melancholy. Curator: Watts was deeply concerned with the moral and spiritual condition of Victorian society. Psyche, here, might symbolize the soul's struggle for purity and self-knowledge in a rapidly changing world. Editor: It’s interesting how the artist uses her vulnerability as a powerful statement. The positioning of her body challenges traditional representations of female beauty, and suggests that true strength lies in embracing one's flaws and imperfections. Curator: It’s a painting that invites us to reflect on our own internal battles and the quest for spiritual fulfillment. Editor: A melancholic beauty, that transcends its time and speaks to the human condition in all its complexity.
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Psyche was a mortal of such beauty that the goddess Venus became jealous of this highly praised rival. She sent her son, Cupid, to make Psyche fall in love with a monster. Cupid, however, fell in love with her himself and hid her in a palace where he visited her by night. She was forbidden to look at him, but curiosity got the better of her, resulting in their separation until Jupiter reunited them in heaven. It was the depiction of such stories from ancient mythology which earned Watts and other artists such Frederic Leighton the title ‘Olympian’, taken from Mount Olympus, the home of the gods. Gallery label, November 2016
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