Psyche and her Sisters, plate 18 from Cupid and Psyche 1880

Max Klinger created this etching, "Psyche and her Sisters," which is plate 18 from "Cupid and Psyche," as part of the Symbolist movement in the late 19th and early 20th century. The Symbolists sought to express individual emotional experience through the use of imagery and metaphor. Klinger's work reflects his interest in classical mythology, but more broadly it can be understood in terms of the era's preoccupation with interiority and psychological states. The tale of Cupid and Psyche, which explores themes of love, jealousy, and redemption, allows Klinger to delve into the complexities of human relationships. Here we see Psyche with her sisters, but what is not depicted is that the sisters are overcome with envy over Psyche's life of luxury and convince her to betray Cupid by looking at him, which she has been forbidden to do. Klinger challenges traditional representations of women by presenting them as complex characters driven by their desires and fears. This allows him to capture both the beauty and the darkness inherent in the human condition. The intensity of the sisters' emotions becomes palpable. Ultimately, Klinger's etching reflects the societal anxieties surrounding gender, desire, and power, and does so with an emphasis on the emotional and personal dimensions of the narrative.