Queering Psyche

‘Queering Psyche’ – the 7th painting in my Queering Deities series.

This is a queering of the myth of ‘Eros and Psyche’, in which Psyche (representative of the soul) falls in love with Love itself, Eros.

In the accompanying book chapter I will explore the myth from a queer perspective. Whereas the emotions of love and pain are universal, the queer experience of that first search for romantic love is often not so.

Here, Psyche is alone, cast out into the cold away from Love’s flame, seemingly abandoned by Eros. The butterfly is a symbol of the soul and Psyche is commonly depicted with butterfly wings. Here Psyche does not notice the iridescent rainbow wings unfurling, representing the inner beauty and the potential for transformation that lies within.

The Challenger who modelled for this painting, Josh, @joshuazack91, explains why he chose Psyche:

“I confess, I have always been a bit of a romantic, and so when I was given the opportunity to “queer” Psyche, I could not resist. The myth of Eros and Psyche has been incredibly alluring to me, ever since at the age of twelve and I bought my first tarot deck The Mythic. The legend is a saga of jealousy, exile, forbidden love, rescue, suspicion, betrayal, solitude, longing, trials, reconciliation and – eventual ultimate emotional fulfilment. In short, it is the narrative of what it means to be human. Despite all of those things that can divide us, we all have hearts that beat. The experience of love is universal.

This legend affords us the opportunity to ask how do I experience love? If I were to answer, as a member of the LQBTQ+ community, I might say much the same as anyone else. With joy and with pain. With hope, and with longing. With tears behind my eyes and a thumping in my chest. But perhaps more importantly, fully. It is impossible to give a bit of love. When love is given away it is always total. However, the miraculous thing is that love does not diminish when given away, but instead increases. It is like the flame of a candle used to ignite another – the light burns brighter.”

Copyright Nic Phillips 2023