Jupiter and Io

Correggio's Jupiter and Io (c. 1530) at the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, depicting Jupiter's seduction of the nymph Io concealed in a cloud, was part of the Loves of Jupiter series and one of the most daring erotic compositions of the Italian Renaissance. The cloud enveloping Io — half atmosphere, half divine presence — creates an image of supernatural desire unlike anything in contemporary painting: the god is simultaneously invisible and physically present, the ecstasy of divine contact rendered through Io's abandoned posture and overwhelmed expression. Correggio's ability to make a supernatural event feel physically and emotionally credible was never more completely achieved than in this extraordinary work.

The remarkable rendering of the cloud-god's translucent, vaporous form against Io's luminous flesh is a tour de force of oil painting, with Correggio's sfumato creating an unprecedented visual metaphor for divine desire.