Cupid 與 Eros 的演變

An Artistic Quest by Arjan Spannenburg

Desire, lust, and attraction, emotions we have attributed to Cupido, the God of Love, for centuries. For many, his name (or his Greek counterpart, Eros) evokes the image of a winged baby aimlessly firing arrows, an innocent symbol for Valentine’s cards.

However, art history tells a far more complex story. Eros was not always aputto(baby). In his origins, he was a man, an entity that brought both chaos and order, feared and adored. How did he transition from a powerful young man to a mischievous child? And what does this transition reveal about our evolving perception of love?

To understand this, we must return to the myth that sealed his fate: the love of Cupido and Psyche.

A Love in the Dark: The Myth of Eros and Psyche

The most defining narrative for Eros is his tragic and heroic love for Psyche. It begins with beauty so breathtaking that Psyche, a king’s daughter, was feared rather than courted. An oracle decreed she was destined for a monster. Yet, she was carried by the west wind to a palace of impossible beauty.

Eros visited her only under the cover of night, leaving before dawn. His reason was profound: he wished to be loved as an equal, not worshipped as a god.

The Temptation of Light

Driven by suspicion, Psyche eventually lit a lamp to see her lover's face. Instead of a monster, she found the most beautiful being imaginable. In her shock, a drop of hot oil fell from her lamp onto his shoulder. Eros awoke and fled, uttering the bitter truth:"Love cannot dwell where suspicion lives."

A Baroque oil sketch by Peter Paul Rubens depicting the myth of Cupid and Psyche; Psyche leans over a sleeping Cupid, illuminating his form with an oil lamp. The painting features dramatic chiaroscuro, warm earth tones, and fluid, expressive brushwork characteristic of 17th-century Flemish Fine Art. — In this work by Peter Paul Rubens, we witness the moment of discovery. Rubens departs from the conventional "baby" portrayal, presenting Eros as a muscular, commanding man, underscoring the physical and mature dimension of their connection.

The Evolution of Form: From Youth to Putto

The depiction of Eros often reveals the artist's intended form of love: playful and ephemeral, or all-consuming and carnal. In ancient Greece, he was a "slender youth". It was only later, influenced by satirical writings, that he transformed into the plump Renaissance Cupido.

Blindness and Eroticism in the Renaissance

Sometimes the form is used to deliver a moral message. In Sandro Botticelli’sPrimavera, Cupido appears as a blindfolded child, symbolising the randomness and "blindness" of infatuation.

Sandro Botticelli’s Renaissance masterpiece, Primavera, featuring a blindfolded Cupid hovering above the goddess Venus in a lush orange grove. The scene depicts a mythological allegory with various figures from classical antiquity, showcasing Botticelli's signature lyrical lines, delicate floral details, and the symbolic representation of 'blind love' through the winged infant archer. — The Blindness of Infatuation: In this detail from Botticelli’s Primavera, Cupido is famously depicted as a blindfolded putto. Hovering above the centre of the composition, he aims his arrow blindly, a Renaissance allegory for the unpredictable and often irrational nature of romantic desire, a stark contrast to the mature, conscious Eros explored in Arjan Spannenburg’s modern interpretations.

In sharp contrast, Agnolo Bronzino presents a far more provocative interpretation. In his allegory, Cupido is an erotic teenager. Here, nudity is not about innocence, it is a direct reference to physicality, fertility, and seduction.

An Allegory with Venus and Cupid by Agnolo Bronzino; a Mannerist painting featuring a sophisticated and eroticized Cupid embracing Venus. The scene is crowded with symbolic figures including Folly and Father Time, rendered with the cold, porcelain-like skin tones and complex, elongated poses typical of the 16th-century Tuscan style. — Mannerism with a Provocative Edge: Agnolo Bronzino offers a far more provocative take on the God of Love. Here, Cupido is portrayed as an erotic adolescent, where nudity symbolises not innocence but a direct nod to physicality, fertility, and seduction. This evolution towards a more mature, confrontational form echoes the raw energy Spannenburg pursues in his contemporary photographic exploration.

卡拉瓦喬式的寫實主義：愛即血肉之軀

Caravaggio famously refused the safe, polished path. InAmor Vincet Omnia(Love Conquers All), he portrayed Eros as a genuine street boy with wings. He is defiant, laughing, and human, embodying a messy reality rather than marble perfection.

A dramatic Baroque masterpiece by Caravaggio titled Amor Vincet Omnia, featuring a realistic young boy as Cupid with dark eagle wings. He stands triumphantly over scattered symbols of human endeavor—musical instruments, armor, and a manuscript. The painting uses intense chiaroscuro to highlight the figure’s defiant, human expression and earthly physicality. — Caravaggio 的寫實主義：Caravaggio 著名地拒絕走安全、精緻的路線。在《Amor Vincet Omnia》（愛能征服一切）中，他將 Eros 描繪成一個帶有翅膀的真實男孩，叛逆、大笑且有人性。這種接地、異想天開的描繪暗示了愛並非遙遠的理想，而是令人對峙且親近的事物，這一哲學深刻地影響了 Spannenburg 自己拍攝的 "CUPIDO" 系列。

This earthy, whimsical depiction suggests that love is not a lofty, distant ideal, but something confrontational and close. This same raw energy is found in later neoclassical sculptures, which sought to balance divine grace with the athletic form of a maturing youth.

A Rococo marble sculpture by Edme Bouchardon depicting a teenage Cupid leaning forward to carve his bow from Hercules' club. The statue showcases an athletic, maturing male form and intricate anatomical detail, marking a departure from the chubby "putto" toward a more adolescent representation of the God of Love. — The Athleticism of Youth: Edme Bouchardon’s sculpture seeks to balance divine grace with the athletic form of a maturing youth. By depicting Cupid as an adolescent rather than a child, Bouchardon mirrors the original Greek "slender youth" and anticipates Arjan Spannenburg’s return to this phase of transformation in his own work.

Even in the 19th century, artists like William Bouguereau continued to play with this adolescent form, capturing a sense of melancholy and transition that bridges the gap between the divine and the human.

A late 19th-century Academic painting by William Bouguereau titled "Cupidon." A pensive, winged adolescent Cupid stands in a forest setting, looking directly at the viewer with a melancholy expression. The painting is known for its hyper-realistic skin textures, soft lighting, and the transition between innocence and self-awareness. — The Melancholy of Transition: In the 19th century, William Bouguereau captured a sense of melancholy and transition that bridges the gap between the divine and the human. This adolescent form, standing at the dawn of self-awareness, serves as a direct artistic predecessor to the "shadow side" of the myth explored in Spannenburg’s modern interpretations.

A Modern Interpretation: The CUPIDO Series by Arjan Spannenburg

This art-historical journey brings us to the present. In my photography, I feel a strong kinship with Caravaggio and the classical Greek vision. Why reduce the God of Love to a decorative cherub when love itself is so complex, raw, and mature?

With my series CUPIDO, I break from the tradition of theputtoand return to adolescence. This is the phase of transformation: the transition from child to man, mirroring the original Eros.

A Dialogue with the Masters

My work frequently delves into the abstraction of monochrome, yet for this series, I deliberately embraced colour. It serves as a tribute to classical painting. The model's warm skin tones and blonde hair stand in striking contrast to the profound, petrol-green backdrops, a subtle allusion to those nights when Eros and Psyche convened.In my series, traditional symbols like wings and arrows are present, but the posture conveys the weight of responsibility and the dawn of self-awareness.

In works likeBlindandThe Quest, I investigate the shadow side of the myth. Here, Cupido is not just the hunter, but also the prey of his own emotions.

The Vulnerability of the God

CUPID 系列的獨特之處在於，它將愛神描繪成一個脆弱且猶豫不決的形象。在陰影籠罩的森林環境中，這位神祇手持象徵其力量的工具，於黑暗中摸索前行。

For me, love is not a baby. It is a transition, a powerful, human, and often heavy burden of the heart. Through this series, I invite collectors and curators to look beyond the Valentine’s cliché and see the Eros that has haunted art history for millennia: the beautiful, dangerous, and deeply human god of our desires.

Considering the CUPIDO series for your collection?