The Kiss by Gustav Klimt
In the art exhibition of 1908, there was a painting on display in a room reserved for Klimt's pictures. This painting was entitled, 'Lovers' by Klimt himself but is generally known today as 'The Kiss'. Ludwig Hevesi, a critic of the time says, "This Klimt hhall at the exhibition is the most remarkable assortment seen in Vienna since Markart's Dumba Room. A purely painterly painting (The Kiss), not possible before markart, a specific phenomena of color.....THe Modern Gallery's new lovers standin a sea of flowers, like Homer's old Zeus on Mount Ida when hera embracd him once more and a carpet of flowers broke forht from the eart. And the lovers wear festive robes, just right for a festival of love. The whole world is festive again....The special Viennese modulation of feeling, newly arrived, is at long last to be recognized as the peoplpe begin to discover there's a place iin thier heart's for Klimt. Not long now and he'll be 'our Klimt'." Hevesi compared Klimt to Makart, Vienna had a new prince of painters. 'The Kiss' did not presesnt society with a scandal, as so many of Klimt's previous pictures had. On the contrary, the picture was recieved with enthusiasm frm the beginning, as is shown by how quickly it sold.
'The Kiss', at a glance represents happiness and love. Loked at more closely, with its precursors in mind, it reveals other components. In 1895, twelve years prior to the transitional phase in which he now was, Klimt had apinted the picture 'Love'. In the earlier picture the lovers are shown in profile, the man holding the woman in his arms and bending his head towards hers. The light falls on the face of the woman, her eyes are closed, her head is tilted back and she looks ready to be kissed. The man's face is in shadow so his expression is unclear. The man is the strong, active, dominating partner; the woman is presented as the devoted, expectant oject. The heads hovering above the pair point not only to the different ages of man (childhood, youth, old age) but also to the threat of death. The last precursor of 'The Kiss' seems to be 'Fufillment' in the Stoclet Frieze, though Klimt probably worked on this at the same time he was working on 'The Kiss'. In the Stoclet Frieze, the lovers stand on a meadow of flowers, the rose-bush flowers far away in the background, but still there. As in the Beethoven Frieze, the man's body covers the woman's, though here her face and one hand are visible.
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 813
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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