'Venus and Cupid' by Michele Tosini

This painting is a copy of an original design by Michelangelo dating from 1532. The theme is the relationship between love and deceit; Venus is shown surreptitiously sliding an arrow from Cupid’s quiver while she kisses him.

Much of Michelangelo’s work is considered to be touched by personal and emotional conflict. In Michelangelo's own diaries he described himself as being ‘beset by a thousand anxieties’ and having failed to experience a moment of happiness in fifteen years. However, the artist seemed, paradoxically, to find a kind of solace in his own suffering. He noted in his later poetry: ‘I get my happiness from my own dejection’.

Text by Shane Morrissy, Education Assistant, 2017

Read the National Gallery of Ireland's curatorial text about the work here.