Amor und Psyche, als Kleinkinder beieinander liegend 

Editor: This is Anthony van Dyck's "Amor und Psyche, als Kleinkinder beieinander liegend," a red-chalk drawing housed at the Städel Museum. I'm immediately struck by the tenderness in the figures’ embrace and yet the dreamlike quality of the charcoal lines. What stands out to you as you look at this drawing? Curator: The enduring myth of Cupid and Psyche speaks volumes. As children, they represent nascent innocence and pure affection, untouched by the trials and tribulations the myth promises. But the act of depicting them as children, what does that *do*, do you think, to our reading of their story? Editor: It almost…softens it? Makes it less about grand passions and more about the very simple bond of friendship and affection. Curator: Precisely. Consider how van Dyck’s Baroque style uses soft chalk lines. Notice how the sleeping Cupid with his arrow softens that figure into something far more endearing than fearsome. Can we also consider that by removing the eroticism one might expect between them, it's almost an allusion to an innocence lost or at least endangered? The wing feels a bit menacing in its shadowy execution, doesn't it? Editor: It does! I hadn't really considered that tension before. It makes me think about the challenges of relationships, even from a very young age. Curator: Visual symbols carry collective memories, reflecting on our own histories and those we share with others. Looking at Cupid and Psyche, even in this youthful state, makes us question how these memories have shaped, and continue to shape, our own expectations. Editor: This has totally transformed how I understand the piece! The nuances in the rendering, the light and shadow, create so much complexity that I completely missed at first glance. Curator: And that, is how a single drawing can tell so many stories.