[4] Critics generally saw the painting's unconventional style and realistic depiction of Cupid as proof of David's decline while in exile, but art historians have come to see the work as a deliberate departure from traditional methods of representing mythological figures.

[5] David began planning Love and Psyche in Paris in 1813, then completed it while in exile in Brussels, following Napoleon's fall from power.

[6] Louis XVIII had offered David a pardon for his activities during the Revolution, but the painter decided instead to enter exile in Brussels.

[8]: 232 According to David's correspondence, he had become interested in the story of Cupid and Psyche and wanted put a new twist on an overused theme through his use of realism.

[8]: 232  James Gallatin, the 17-year-old son of an American diplomat, posed nude for the painting, which may explain the awkward teenage look of Cupid.

[9]: 221  The bodies of both Cupid and Psyche are illuminated in contrast with the dark colors of the background, further highlighting their unidealized appearance.

The flying butterfly symbolizes, according to the art historian Issa Lampe, both “death and transcendence," serving as a commentary on Cupid's departure from Psyche every morning.

[7] Analyses of the painting typically focus on the realistic portrayal of Cupid, which deviates from the traditional treatment of the myth.

[10][9] Art historians have also compared David's painting to François Édouard Picot's Amor and Psyche (1817), which depicts the same moment of Cupid leaving, but in an idealized manner.

[10] In David's version, Cupid appears to be sinister while Psyche is vulnerable, suggesting a slightly perverted relationship between the two.

[10] This creates, according to the art historian Dorothy Johnson, an uncomfortable sensation when looking at the painting as it “makes the viewers complicit in this power dynamic” between Cupid and Psyche.

[8] Gros, who was otherwise a known supporter of David, said that “the head of Amor has a somewhat faun-like character, the hands are somewhat dark and above all not refined enough.”[10] Other critics were confused by the deviation from Cupid's typical appearance and were disturbed by the distortion of it.