Gustav Klimt

Artist: Gustav Klimt

Title: The Kiss

Media: Oil on canvas

Dimensions: 180 x 180 cm

Date: 1908

Biography info:

 Gustav Klimt was an Austrian painter that lived from July 14, 1862 to February 6, 1918. His primary subject of his paintings, murals, sketches and other works was the female body.

Statement on the work: 

A perfect square, the canvas depicts a couple embracing their bodies entwined in elaborate robes decorated in a style influenced by both linear constructs of the contemporary Art Nouveau style and the organic forms of the earlier Arts and Crafts movement.

Background info on the work:

“The Kiss” was created during Klimt’s “Golden Phase”. During this period he used gold leaf. In this work the female is the protagonist, rather than merely the object of desire.

Connects to theme and why I chose it: 

I chose this work because there is an overall sense of tenderness and love between the couple embracing. The man carefully angles her face so he can kiss her. This shows that the couple love each other