Although the 21st Century has produced many great artists across the various mediums, there are no contemporary sculptors to compare with the neo-classicists of the 18th and 19th Centuries, Canova and Thorvaldsen in particular, who had the vision to create the original concept coupled with the ability to then carve the piece themselves from a block of pure white marble.

The best and most popular works of these neo-classical artisans can be characterized by their order, symmetry, and simplicity of style. This set against a political background which heralded a turning point in attitudes and freedom of expression. A move away from the frivolity of Rococo to the new found freedom and grandeur of neo-classicism.

I have stood in the Louvre and watched the expressions of countless faces as they looked in awe and wonderment at Canova’s Cupid and Psyche. They simply stand there speechless and marvel at its form.

So what is it that they can see?

They may indeed know some of the carving’s history and the attitudes that prevailed during its creation. And for sure they come loaded with expectation and the knowledge that what they are about to behold is considered to be one of the greatest works of sculpture in the world.

And when they stand in front of it, they are not disappointed. You can hear the sighs of appreciation as their eyes make contact with the purity of the marble and the poetic outlines of the figures. It’s the sheer simplicity and integrity of the work which causes this reaction.

The grace and symmetry of the contours jump out at you like a balletic movement which in a way it represents. And when you look into the faces of Cupid and Psyche and see the way they interact with each other and hold each other, you are looking at the classic grandeur of a statue that represents grace and beauty, yet tells the story of an ill fated romance between the two protagonists who to all intents and purposes are real.

But to add to all that, it’s the sheer beauty of the work in the figures and most importantly, the faces, which transcends time and which for me anyway, is what gels with a contemporary audience.