Cupid (Amor)
c. 1630
Johann Liss
Johann Liss (German, c. 1597–1631)
European Painting and Sculpture
Cupid (Amor), c. 1630. Johann Liss (German, c. 1597–1631). Oil on canvas; 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.). The Cleveland Museum of Art, Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund 1971.100 Johann Liss studied in Holland and Antwerp, and later (about 1620) traveled to Rome and Venice. This painting of Cupid—also known as Amor, the god of love—reflects the artist’s skillful synthesis of diverse artistic influences to create his own unique style. The painting’s rich colors and fluid brushwork are 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.
- Maker/Artist
- Liss, Johann
- Classification
- Painting
- Formatted Medium
- oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 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.)
- Departments
- European Painting and Sculpture
- Accession Number
- 1971.100
- Credit Line
- Leonard C. Hanna, Jr. Fund
- Exhibitions
- Year in Review: 1971, Caravaggio: Behold the Man, Le Caravagisme Européen, Genoa, Palazzo Reale, 1947: "Mostra della pittura del Seicento e Settecento in Liguria," cat. no. 146, illus. (catalogue by Antonio Morassi). <br>Venice, Ca'Pissaro, 1959: "La pittura del Seicento a Venezia," cat. no. 63, illus. <br>CMA, January 1972: "Year in Review 1971," cat., Bull., LIX (January1972), p. 42, no. 54, repr. p. 13. <br>Augsburg, Sadtische kunstsammlungen, 1975: "johann Liss," cat. no. 29, pp. 23, 70, 101-103, 104, 106, 108, color frontispiece (catalogue by Rüdiger klessmann, Ann Tzeutschler Lurie, and Louise Richards). The Cleveland Museum of Art (1975/76).<br>Columbus Museum of Art, OH (10/21/2011 - 2/5/2012): "Caravaggio: Behold the Man"<br>Musée des Augustins, Toulouse, France (6/22/2012 - 10/14/2012): "Le Caravagisme Européen", ex. cat. no. 101, p. 376-377.
- Rights Statement
- CC0
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