The kiss* by Gustav Klimt

Austrian Symbolism and the brilliance of the Golden Phase of European modern art manifest themselves spectacularly within this unavoidable masterpiece of the Secession. Through the iconic work entitled “The kiss”, the innovative painter Gustav Klimt transcends the romantic embrace to fashion a universal mystical allegory. This monumental composition fuses precious ornaments with the sensuality of the flesh, establishing itself as an absolute reference point of the twentieth-century aesthetic movement.

A pair of lovers merges in the center-right, kneeling on a carpet of sparse vegetation constellated with small purple and blue corollas. The man, standing and leaning with fervor, is draped in an opulent golden cloak decorated with mosaics of regular black and white rectangles. His hand softly cradles the face of his partner who closes her eyes in a tranquil ecstasy, sporting a dress adorned with multicolored organic discs. A large golden mass in the shape of a halo or cocoon surrounds their united silhouettes, surmounting a rain of precious filaments falling downward. The background consists of a uniform ocher-earthy background with dark metallic reflections, conferring a cosmic and timeless dimension to the scene.

The creator’s manual dexterity bursts forth in the virtuoso application of gold leaf and the complexity of the nested decorative motifs. His flawless oil painting technique allows him to restore the softness of faces with a rare psychological realism of perfection. This first-rate artisanal work underlines his absolute stylistic supremacy.