The myth of Eros and Psyche
The myth tells the story of a young princess, Psyche, secretly loved in the obscurity of the night by Eros, the son of Aphrodite. Intrigued by the true nature of her nocturnal lover, Psyche lights a lamp above his sleeping body. A drop of boiling oil wounds Eros, causing him to vanish instantly. The jealous Aphrodite condemns Psyche to death unless she overcomes a series of arduous trials, one of which is to ask Persephone, the goddess of the Underworld, for a potion of beauty. Curiosity about that potion leads Psyche to fall into a sleep as deep as death. Eventually, Zeus has mercy on the young Psyche and transforms her into a divinity, so that she can finally be reunited with her beloved Eros.
Love and Vulnerability
Love first appears to the young anima (this is the Greek word psyché) as an irresistible impulse toward beauty and pleasure. It is painful to learn that beauty is fleeting and that love is constantly at risk of loss due to the finiteness of the human condition. This rite of passage is necessary for love to rise to a higher level of self‑consciousness, where desire reconciles with vulnerability and mortality.
In this black and white photograph of the ancient sculpture of Eros and Psyche in Rome, the monochrome tones underline the tension between beauty and fragility, desire and despair, ancient myth and contemporary gaze.
See other ancient sculptures monochrome photographs in Melancholy of the Ancient World.
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