The kiss* by Gustav Klimt

The tradition of intimate portraiture and the exploration of ecstatic psychological states guide the creator’s brush at the height of his artistic maturity. Through the superb close-up view entitled “The kiss”, the famous painter Gustav Klimt delivers a study of faces of great emotional fineness and intense physical presence. The work focuses exclusively on the moment of absolute tenderness, moving away from dense backgrounds to favor human truth and the splendor of precious metals.

The framing focuses on the faces of the two protagonists captured in a highly intense dramatic face-to-face. The young woman, her head tilted back and angled in profile, displays closed eyelids and red-tinted lips expressing a voluptuous serenity. Her red hair is adorned with a wreath of small white and blue flowers, while a rigid pectoral necklace surrounds her neck. The man leans over her to kiss her tenderly, his vigorous and tanned hands delicately cradling his companion’s face. The backdrop is formed by the heavy mass of golden cloaks decorated with geometric patterns and shimmering Byzantine volutes under a divine light.

The craftsman’s pictorial mastery is asserted in the perfect modeling of the facial volumes and the softness of the flesh’s shadow transitions. Thanks to his rigorous technique with oil combined with gold leaf, the artist manages to recreate a hushed atmosphere of striking realism. This meticulous execution bears witness to an immense professional expertise.