The Kiss (Klimt painting)
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| Artist | Gustav Klimt |
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| Year | 1907-1908 |
| Type | Oil and gold leaf on canvas |
| Dimensions | 180 cm × 180 cm (71 in × 71 in) |
| Location | Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna, Austria |
The Kiss (original Der Kuss) was painted by Gustav Klimt, during his ‘golden period’, and is probably his most famous work. It depicts a couple, in various shades of gold and symbols, sharing a kiss against a bronze background.
Two figures are situated at the edge of a flowered escarpment. The man is wearing neutral coloured rectangles and a crown of vines; the woman wears brightly coloured tangent circles and flowers in her hair. The twain’s embrace is enveloped by triangular vining and a veil of concentric circles.
Similarly juxtaposed couples appear in both Klimt’s Beethoven Frieze and Stoclet Frieze.
In The Kiss, Klimt depicted a couple locked in an embrace. All that is visible of the couple, however, is a small segment of each person's body. The rest of the painting dissolves into shimmering, extravagant flat patterning. This patterning has clear ties to Art Nouveau and to the Arts and Crafts movement and also evokes the conflict between two- and three-dimensionality instrinsic to the work of Degas and other modernists. Paintings such as The Kiss were visual manifestations of fin-de-siecle spirit because they capture a decadence conveyed by opulent and sensuous images.
Some think[1] that Klimt and his beloved companion Emilie Flöge modeled for the masterpiece.
The Kiss is a discreet expression of Klimt’s emphasis on eroticism and the liberation therein. The Kiss falls in line with Klimt’s exploration of fulfillment and the redeeming, transformative power of love and art.[citation needed] The Kiss is deviant from Klimt’s frequent portrayal of women as the lascivious femme fatale.
The piece is currently at the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere museum, which is housed in the Belvedere palace, in Vienna, Austria.
Gustav Klimt and "The Kiss" were selected as the main motif for a collectors' coin, the 100 euro gold The Painting coin issued on 5 November 2003. The obverse depicts Klimt in his studio with two unfinished masterpieces on easels, while the reverse shows "Der Kuss" (The Kiss).
[edit] References
- ^ Klimt by Gilles Neret, p. 57
- http://www.iklimt.com
- http://www.artchive.com/artchive/ftptoc/klimt_ext.html
- http://encarta.msn.com/encnet/refpages/RefMedia.aspx?refid=461526913&artrefid=761565516&sec=-1&pn=1
- Julio Vives Chillida, El beso (los enamorados) de Gustav Klimt. Un ensayo de iconografía, 2008.ISBN: 978-1-4092-0530-2
[edit] External links
- Gustav Klimt at the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere
- Der Kuss
- The Kiss at 100
- [1]
- The Kiss Klimt Blog Broad collection of articles around The Kiss painting
