Exploring the art of affection in ‘The Kiss’
In an age of artists with strict and pompous historical and religious paintings, Gustav Klimt was born to smash the wall of superiority that existed between art and spirituality. He was known not only for his affinity to put sensuality at the forefront of his paintings, but also for his own unique style and use of colours.
Gustav Klimt was born on July 14, 1862 in Vienna –a city that was famous for its traditions and nobility in every aspect. Gustav Klimt and his brother were successful Mural painters. With an unusual personality, he went to an arts and crafts school instead of fine arts. After the death of his father and brother, his art took a radical turn exploring sexuality through painting. "The Kiss", painted in 1907 is a symbol of Romance to this day. Ironically, Klimt had lived his whole life with his mother and two unmarried sisters, and he himself remained unmarried too.
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So why are we so obsessed with this particular painting? "The Kiss" as its name suggest is a painting of a man kissing and embracing his beloved. The man's robe is illustrated with quadrilateral solid shapes and the woman's circular shapes and flowers. The image itself is two dimensional and appears as if it were a photomontage. He had used eight different types of gold for the piece, the background is at first covered with gold leaves before getting a dark wash.
He had also used brilliant textural effects with the primer to make a three-dimensional effect like Byzantine Mozaic. Born to a goldsmith father, Klimt was fascinated by gold and made an extensive use of it in "The Kiss". There was also platinum in places.
Something people often fail to notice is the woman's hand wrapping the man is a lot like a halo as if the entire idea of romantic love is something holy and angelic.
There have been similar artworks produced by legendary artists but Klimt's painting had overt eroticism in the postures of his subjects, and the abstract expressions he had used were intriguing and thought-provoking. Nevertheless, the new age welcomed this mad strength in showcasing realistic approach to painting that are dipped in sensuous charms making Gustav Klimt residing in our hearts forever and "The Kiss" as an emblem of romance.
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