Artwork Page for Cupid (Amor)

Details / Information for Cupid (Amor)

Cupid (Amor)

c. 1630

Johann Liss

(German, c. 1597–1631)
Culture
Germany
Medium
oil on canvas
Measurements
Framed: 108 x 86 x 6.5 cm (42 1/2 x 33 7/8 x 2 9/16 in.); Unframed: 87.7 x 65.7 cm (34 1/2 x 25 7/8 in.)
Credit Line
Leonard C. Hanna Jr. Fund 1971.100
Public Domain
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Location
217 Italian Baroque
Print
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Did You Know?

Liss skillfully combined Dutch, Flemish, and Italian styles to create his own distinct manner.

Description

Johann Liss studied in Holland and Antwerp, and later (about 1620) traveled to Rome and Venice. His painting of Cupid—also known as Amor, the god of love—displays rich colors and fluid brushwork that were influenced by past Venetian masters (Titian, Tintoretto, or Veronese), while the deep contrasts of light and shadow reveal a stylistic debt to Caravaggio. The directness of Cupid’s gaze and the concentrated energy of his pose create a strong connection with the viewer.
A vertically oriented oil painting depicts Cupid from the waist up, a youth with light skin tone leaning on dark, bunched fabric. Turned slightly to our right, he looks toward us with curly brown hair and large eyes. Large white-feathered wings rise from his shoulders. In his right hand on our left, he holds a long, dark arrow. Muted brown tones fill the background with dark leaves in the upper right.

Cupid (Amor)

c. 1630

Johann Liss

(German, c. 1597–1631)
Germany

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