The Kiss (1907-08)
Gustav Klimt
Gustav Klimt (1862-1918) was influenced by Margaret Macdonald, wife of Charles Rennie Mackintosh who, along with the Glasgow Four, was part of the Vienna Secession of 1900 which was to influence the direction of European art and craft. ‘The Kiss’ was an attempt from Klimt on the subject of fulfilment. The seductive power of the image makes the proto-Expressionist elements difficult to appreciate; such as the hideously bent toes, contorted hands and the colour of the woman’s skin (which suggests putrefaction).
My first encounter with this image was in my early twenties, it was a favourite of my first girlfriend, and as such we had a beautiful print of this and of Klimt’s other work, ‘The Virgin’ adorning our flat walls for many years. Both are beautiful paintings to me, and I was torn between the two when choosing my favourite piece.
I opted for this one purely for the sentimental reason that I once recreated my own version of it in a detailed and lovingly constructed drawing that saw myself and my then girlfriend in the male and female roles (albeit without bent toes and contorted hands). I’m not known for blowing my own trumpet but I was and still am proud of this drawing, probably the finest piece of art I’ve ever produced, albeit copied from one of the most well known paintings of the 20th Century.
