Amor spænder sin bue 1764 - 1790

Erik Pauelsen painted "Amor spænder sin bue" with oil on canvas, a depiction of Cupid preparing his bow. It is a tableau brimming with symbols of love and desire. Here, Cupid is not merely an allegorical figure, but a timeless representation of primal human emotions, his bow an instrument of both pleasure and pain. From antiquity, we see Eros, or Cupid, as this figure is known in Roman lore, his image ever present in frescoes and sculptures. Consider the Hellenistic statue of Eros stringing his bow. This motif of drawing the bow appears across time, even in medieval tapestries and Renaissance paintings, a cultural echo rippling through centuries. The act of stringing the bow itself carries a psychoanalytic weight; it is a preparation, a moment charged with potential and anticipation. This image evokes the complex dance of attraction, and Cupid remains a figure that engages us on a profound, subconscious level.