Venus and Cupid, Benjamin West

Venus and Cupid, Benjamin West employs subtle eroticism to transform a traditional Madonna and child motif into a Romantic vision of love. Against a darkened natural backdrop in which a sunset is barely visible, Venus and Cupid enjoy a tender moment of intimacy. Their lust is palpable. Desire and joy are etched onto the faces of both the god and the goddess. She sits center-stage, her left breast making the center point of the painting so that the eye is drawn to it as irresistibly as Cupid's is. Thus, not just her left breast, but Cupid's yearning for the nipple is central to West's painting. Furthermore, an oval window frames the image of Venus and Cupid. The sense of peering into their moment of intimacy deepens the erotic effect of the work, as if the viewer is spying on the lovers. West enhances the visual impact of the frame with light, texture, and color as well as with shape and form. The window appears like stucco or stone as if it belongs to a cloister: and we are in the inside looking out.

Venus and Cupid inhabit the natural world, as they surrounded by a grotto enjoying the darkening skies. On the contrary, the viewer gazes at the god and goddess of love while cloistered within man-made walls. The man-made wall between the viewer and Venus and Cupid suggests several things. First, society erects barriers between the human and divine worlds. Venus and Cupid appear in total bliss, her left hand extended up to point toward the heavens. Their beatific smiles almost provoke a pang of envy, for their love is at once lusty and pure. Second, the earth-colored, irregularly textured window suggests that Venus and Cupid are more connected to the world of spirit than mere mortals are. Monasteries and churches can only approximate a connection with the divine. Finally, erotic love such as that suggested by the image of Venus and Cupid mirrors the love of God for creation.

Furthermore, the stone wall seems heavy, like a weight pulling humanity toward the mundane world. In contrast, Venus and Cupid seem weightless. Even though Venus' form is by far the largest body mass in West's composition, she seems light at the same time. Part of the reason why Venus seems airy in spite of her mass is because her body is illuminated brightly. The source of light is unclear, and could either be from within the walls or from within her. Ironically the light does not come from the heavens, even though Venus points upward.

Venus is larger and more substantial than Cupid and yet her body is endowed with profound illumination. However, Cupid is inherently airy because of his wings, which match the golden hue of his hair and of Venus' bracelet. His flesh is identical in color, texture, and illumination to Venus', implying their connection as the god and goddess of love.