Illustration nr. 9 til "L`Amour et Psyché" 1862

Editor: This is Illustration nr. 9 til "L`Amour et Psyché" by Lorenz Frølich, created in 1862. It's a drawing and engraving. The scene feels incredibly intimate and sorrowful. I’m curious, what emotions or narratives do you think Frølich is trying to convey? Curator: Ah, yes, the enduring tale of Cupid and Psyche, a tragic romance retold through the ages. The grief! The *hubris*! I see a young woman, caught in a moment of forbidden looking—with this lovely circular frame to highlight the narrative aspect of it—risking everything for knowledge, or perhaps just... love? What a thing to risk oneself on, eh? But also: Look at her form, almost tentative in the half-light and shadows, isn't it all so incredibly, exquisitely fragile? Almost as fragile as this love might be. Editor: The fragility definitely comes across, particularly given how he's chosen to depict Psyche with very delicate, almost waiflike lines. Do you think his choice of medium – engraving and pencil – enhances this fragility? Curator: Oh, absolutely. The sharp lines of the engraving give a crispness, but the pencil softens the edges, lending a dreamlike, ephemeral quality. A reminder perhaps, that beauty, love, these grand narratives, they're but fleeting things! Are we looking at truth or fairytale? Do we ever really *know*? I suspect Frølich asks the same thing to himself. Editor: It makes me think about the nature of stories themselves. Curator: Exactly. Myths reflect us, shape us... we breathe life into them and vice versa. We've learned that, no? Editor: Definitely, this has helped me see beyond the surface. Thank you.