Cupid in California
Fans of mythology don’t have to wait till Valentine’s Day (February 14) to see cupid on display. The god of desire appears in museums throughout the state, including places such as The Getty, Getty Villa, Huntington Library and Gardens and Legion of Honor Fine Arts Museum San Francisco. If Cupid appears to have gained weight from eating too many chocolates, it’s primarily the result of portrayals that varied from the thin Cupid of Classical Greek era to a chubbier cherub in the Hellenistic period. For those looking to write verse that breaks out of the mold of those boring greeting cards take inspiration from classics such as William Shakespeare:
Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind
And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind.
Nor hath love’s mind of any judgement taste;
Wings and no eyes figure unheedy haste.
And therefore is love said to be a child
Because in choice he is so oft beguiled.
