Venus Disarming Cupid

Venus Disarming Cupid by Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot French, 1796-1875, is a compelling mid-nineteenth-century drawing exploring classical mythology. Created between 1852 and 1862, this composition captures the maternal goddess Venus intervening to remove the arrows and bow of her mischievous son, Cupid. The subject balances eroticism with parental control, a common allegorical theme in French art of the period that allowed Corot to explore the interplay of light and idealized form outside his renowned landscape work.

Classified strictly as a drawing, the piece showcases a highly developed mixed-media technique. Corot constructed the figures using charcoal, expertly defining volume and shadow, before utilizing stumping to blend the tones and create soft transitions. To introduce brilliant highlights and sharp outlines, the artist employed sophisticated subtractive methods, including scraping and precise erasing. The figures are dramatically heightened with white gouache applied to the dark cream wove paper, lending the composition a sculptural solidity and luminescence often associated with oil painting studies.

Corot, an artist who successfully bridged Neoclassicism and early Impressionism, demonstrates his skill in figure drawing through the sensual yet controlled poses of the mythological figures. This complex preparatory work resides within the extensive holdings of the Art Institute of Chicago, illustrating the draftsman’s mastery of figurative narrative alongside his celebrated atmospheric landscapes. As significant artworks created by Corot in France become widely studied, high-resolution reproductions and prints are frequently made available through public domain archives, ensuring the accessibility of this vital segment of the artist’s career.