The Kiss, Klimt
- Oil on linen canvas
- 100% hand-painted
- Reproduction painting
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| Author: | Gustav Klimt |
|---|---|
| Original Title: | Der Kuss |
| Type: | Painting |
| Style: | Modernism |
| Medium | Oil |
| Support: | Canvas |
| Year: | 1908 |
| Located: | Galería Belvedere, Austria |
From a technical perspective, the painting combines oil and gold leaf on canvas, a technique rarely used in easel painting. The gold, applied in thin layers and polished in select areas, produces reflections that shift with the light, giving the surface an almost sculptural quality. The visual structure follows a strict geometry: the man’s robe, with rectangular patterns, contrasts with the circles and spirals of the woman’s dress. This contrast highlights the duality between the masculine and the feminine, a recurring theme in Klimt’s visual language.
Among the most remarkable facts, The Kiss was purchased by the Austrian state even before it was completed, a sign of its immediate historical value. Its creation marked the peak of Klimt’s so-called “Golden Period.” It is estimated that more than 1.5 million visitors view it each year at the Belvedere in Vienna.
The Kiss by Gustav Klimt, created between 1907 and 1908, is one of the masterpieces of the Viennese Modernist movement. It depicts a couple wrapped in a fusion of geometric and golden forms, their bodies seemingly dissolving into a luminous background. The surface, dominated by golden and ochre tones and enriched by meticulous ornamental details, evokes a sense of timeless intimacy. Its vertical composition and balance between the figurative and the decorative reveal Klimt’s artistic maturity and his mastery of symbolic language.
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ARTIST DATA
Gustav Klimt
| Full Name: | Gustav Klimt. |
|---|---|
| Birth: | 1862, Austria. |
| Death: | 1928, Austria. |
| Style: | Modernism. |
Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) was an Austrian painter whose work marked a turning point in the history of European art. In his early years, he trained within the Viennese academic tradition, developing an eclectic and meticulous style with a strong interest in historical and allegorical themes. However, his personal quest led him to break away from academic conventions and become one of the central figures of the movement that would define artistic modernity at the turn of the century: Modernism (Art Nouveau).
Read moreWhy is this painting famous?
The international fame of The Kiss by Gustav Klimt comes from its status as the most recognizable image of Viennese Modernism and Art Nouveau. Permanently exhibited at the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, it is one of Vienna’s main tourist attractions. Its universal theme —romantic love— and ornamental aesthetic have led to countless reinterpretations in advertising, social media, and pop culture, securing its place among the world’s most famous paintings.
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