Sypher on art & design : Eros/Cupid
His life and times in art and literature
Date
Location
Admission
Open to the public
RSVP required
About the Event
Just in time for Valentine’s Day, Eleanor Sypher returns with another in her immensely popular series about art and design. Here, she will trace the development of Eros/Cupid through the ages in an illustrated talk.
In art, sculpture, and poetry, the Greek Eros (Lust) changes from a primary, generative force into a younger, winged and mischievous boy in Roman Imperial times. The Roman Cupid (Desire) multiplies and always shows up with weapons, the bow and arrow. Christians turn the bratty boy into an angel with wings. Renaissance artists and poets preferred the sweet angel toddler. In the Baroque and Rococo styles, painters make him a major violent character. By the 20th century, he almost disappears from Western culture, except on Valentine’ Day.
About the Speaker
Recently returned to Greenwich Village, a few steps away from the venerated Salmagundi Club, Eleanor K. Sypher has volunteered her extensive skills in a series of talks on art history, first enjoyed at Arizona State University and a local art center for the past six years. Eleanor is well-acquainted with ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, Byzantium, The Italian Renaissance, The Baroque in Italy and Holland, Rococo in France, the Impressionists, and European and American artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
Eleanor holds a B.A. in English from Smith College; and an M.A. in Latin and Ph.D. In Greek and Latin from Columbia University. Employment in New York included teaching, book editing and directing a foundation for 25 years. Earlier volunteer work involved founding a charter school in the South Bronx and fundraising for that school and a church.
Hungry?
Grab a bite to eat after the event from our dining room (a normally member-only benefit)! Ticketed attendees who would like to stay for drinks and dinner should make dining reservations in advance via our Reservations page with the message “Sypher dinner”.
