Gustav Klimt
(1862-1918) was an Austrian painter and draughtsman, and a leading exponent of
Art Nouveau, who is regarded as one of the greatest painters of decorative art
of the 20th century.
His work was
often controversial, mainly for its erotic content, and accusations of
obscenity were levelled at him during his lifetime. However, to a modern eye
these charges seem irrelevant as his work comes across as being passionate,
seductive and life-affirming. His paintings and other work have been very
influential on later generations of artists.
The Kiss is
both pictorial and abstract. It depicts a man and woman in a passionate embrace.
His hands surround her face and her arm is around his neck. One imagines that
she must be somewhat taller than her lover, as she is kneeling while the man
appears to be standing.
However, the
most striking thing about The Kiss is the costumes that the couple are wearing.
She wears a close-fitting dress that is emblazoned with circular patterns while
his cloak is covered in rectangular designs. Around them is a womb-like space
that is itself surrounded by a darker sky.
The colouring
of the couple’s clothing is remarkable, with gold being the chief element that
strikes the viewer. Klimt’s extensive use of gold in his work no doubt derived
from being the son of an engraver of gold and silver. He knew how effective the
metallic sheen could be.
Another
influence on Klimt derived from a visit he made in 1903 to Ravenna
in Italy
The painting
is full of symbolism, much of which was personal to Klimt. He created The Kiss
in 1907-8, not long after his “Beethoven Frieze” that refers to a line from
Schiller’s “Ode to Joy”: “the kiss to the whole world”. The viewer can
therefore read a much more universal message in The Kiss than might be conveyed
by a simple image of two people in love.
The
surrounding space, for example, is decorated with circular biomorphic shapes
that are reflected in the woman’s dress where they are filled with flowers. She
wears flowers in her hair. The ground on which they stand and kneel is likewise
carpeted with tiny flowers. There is therefore a unity between the woman and
her surroundings that places her at one with the world at large.
By kissing
her, and becoming as one with her, the man enters her world, and the result is
new life, as symbolised by the golden fronds that flow downwards from the woman
and off the canvas.
The viewer
must interpret The Kiss as he or she sees fit, because the detail in this
painting is extremely intricate. Klimt worked slowly, only producing five or
six canvases in a year, and he is known to have reworked The Kiss a number of
times. It can therefore be safely assumed that the finished work is exactly as
the artist desired, and every element is there for a purpose. How those details
are read and understood is up to the viewer.
The Kiss
works on several levels, including an expression of the joy of love between two
people, as a statement of a universal message about the power of love, and as a
stunning abstract image of colour and pattern. It is a painting that needs to
be looked at and contemplated over a period of time, because it continues to
reward for as long as this is done.
The Kiss is
unusual in being perfectly square (another geometrical feature to set alongside
the rectangles and circles) at 71 inches (180 centimetres). It is housed at the
Österreichische Galerie, Vienna ,
Austria
© John
Welford
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