Focus on this artwork and explore the abstract.
The Psyché (My Studio) is an oil on panel painting by the Belgian artist Alfred Stevens. Painted in circa 1871, the painting once belonged to Robert de Montesquiou, and is currently housed at the Princeton University Art Museum located in Princeton, New Jersey.The Psyché is noted for its realism, witticism, and allegory, three dimensions generally perceived sequentially herein. The French word psyché (meaning, as in English, both "the mind" and the ancient goddess beloved of Cupid) also designates a full-length mirror, invented in the late eighteenth century, that can be moved up and down or tilted on its chassis. Here, however, the psyché is placed on an easel, where a canvas is supposed to sit. The young woman, like Psyche to Cupid in the ancient tale, peers stealthily around the edge of the mirror to the viewer. In this painting, Psyche looks both into the mirror and, via the latter, at the viewer.
Belgian Robert de Montesquiou easel Cupid realism Psyche Princeton, New Jersey ancient tale Princeton University Art Museum Alfred Stevens