Vincent Van Gogh: love is like madness. The mystery of Van Gogh's madness: what does his last painting say? Each painting contains a secret, a destiny, a message.

Date of creation: 1908.
Dimensions: 180*180 cm.
Location: Belvedere Gallery, Vienna.

Kiss

Details and technology

"Kiss"- is probably the most recognizable and popular work Gustav Klimt. It was written in the “golden” period, the most fruitful stage of his work. The name “golden” was given for a reason; taking a look at this picture we will see many golden details; Klimt used gold leaf in his painting, because of this technique the period got its name.

Plot

This painting is quite symbolic, although it has a simple plot. The painting shows a man and a woman standing in the middle of a flower hill. A man leans towards a woman to give her a kiss, his face hidden from the audience. Women were the main characters in Klimt's paintings, so the man's face is not important here. The characters in the picture do not notice what is happening around them, they are busy with each other. We can notice that there are no unnecessary details in the picture, only heroes.

Description

The picture looks very unusual due to the fact that the figures seem to merge into one whole. In the pose of the two heroes of the picture one can read a storm of emotions and passion. But judging by the difference in patterns on their robes, one can still see a fine line between them. Experts have put forward a theory that the patterns on the characters’ clothes are related to their gender. Patterns on men's raincoat made in the form of clear geometric shapes discreet shades. On the contrary, the patterns on women’s clothes are smoother and more sophisticated, they use delicate tones.

There is also gilding in the background, its reflections resemble the shine of stars in the sky. This effect complements the feeling that there is a cliff or abyss behind our heroes, as if they are on the edge of the world, alone in the universe.

Tree of life. Gustav Klimt.

Painting "Kiss" differs from other paintings by Klimt in that in this picture he depicts not carnal pleasures and eroticism, but the most tender and beautiful feeling - love. Gustav Klimt was a fan of the works of Sigmund Freud, and it is believed that one of his theories inspired the artist to paint this painting. Critics believe that Emilia Flöge, his faithful life partner, served as the image of a woman for Klimt.

Painting "Kiss" updated: October 25, 2017 by: Valentina

“The sadness will last forever”... In 2015, Europe celebrates 125 years since the death of Van Gogh. Exhibitions, excursions, festivals and performances serve one thing - to remind us who this amazing, extraordinary person was.

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 1. Just 10 years of creativity

Worldwide famous artist, whose works are now sold for tens of millions of dollars, was painting for only the last 10 years of his life.

Van Gogh. "The Potato Eaters" (1985)

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 2. Art dealer

Before finding something he liked, Vincent Van Gogh tried his hand at the trade and art industry, working in his uncle's firm in London. Dealing with painting, Van Gogh learned to understand and love it. But due to his careless character, he was fired from his job, despite his family ties with the owner himself.

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 3. Van Gogh - a preacher?

For a long time, Van Gogh seriously wanted to become a priest, like his father. He showed a keen interest in the Bible and was engaged in its translation. I was preparing for exams at the University of Amsterdam at the Faculty of Theology, but quickly lost interest in studying. Later he attended a Protestant missionary school near Brussels, and was even sent to the south of Belgium for six months to preach sermons to the poor. There Van Gogh showed extraordinary zeal, for which he was awarded the trust local residents. They even instructed him to petition the mine management on behalf of the workers to improve working conditions. But in this matter Van Gogh failed. Not only was the petition rejected, but Van Gogh himself was removed from service. The already eccentric and hot-tempered young man suffered this event painfully.

Van Gogh. "Van Gogh's Bedroom in Arles" (1888)

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 4. Woe-disciple

Depression after an unsuccessful pastoral experience pushed Van Gogh to find himself in painting. He even enters the Royal Academy in Brussels fine arts, but after studying for a year, he quits. Instead, Vincent works a lot on his own, takes private lessons, and studies various techniques.

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 5. Rejected in Paris

The artist's most productive period was in Paris. Here he meets the impressionists, who have a significant influence on him. Here Van Gogh participates in many exhibitions, but the public categorically does not accept his work, forcing him to return to study.

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 6. The myth of cut off ears

In 1889, while searching for a concept for a common workshop, a conflict took place between Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin, during which Van Gogh attacked Gauguin with a razor in his hands. Gauguin was not injured, but Van Gogh cut off his earlobe that night. What it was - pangs of remorse or the consequences of excessive consumption of absinthe - is not known for certain. However, after this incident, Van Gogh ends up in a psychiatric hospital with a diagnosis of temporal lobe epilepsy. Residents of the town of Arles, where the incident with the razor occurred, asked the mayor of the city to isolate Van Gogh from society, so the artist was sent to a settlement for the mentally ill in Sant-Rémy-de-Provence. But even there Van Gogh works hard, creating, among other things, famous work"Starlight Night".

Van Gogh. "Self-portrait with a cut off ear and a pipe" (1898)

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 7. Recognition after death

Van Gogh's first public recognition came in Last year life, after participating in the G20 exhibition, when the first positive article about his work “Red Vineyards in Arles” was published.

Van Gogh. "Red Vineyards at Arles" (1888)

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 8. Mysterious death

Van Gogh passed away at the age of only 37. The circumstances of his death are still ambiguous. He died from loss of blood after a gunshot wound to the chest from a pistol, which the artist used to drive away birds during the plein air. It is not known for sure whether it was suicide or attempt. Last words Van Gogh were: “Sadness will last forever.”

Van Gogh. Last work. "Wheat Field with Crows" (1890)

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 9. The closest person

A special person in Van Gogh's life was his brother Theo. It was he who supported him more than others and helped in organizing the “southern” workshop. It was he who tried to organize posthumous exhibition artist, but fell ill with a mental disorder and followed his brother exactly six months later.

Van Gogh. 10 interesting facts. Fact No. 10. The myth of the only painting sold

There is a version that for the entire short life Van Gogh sold only one work - "Red Vineyards in Arles". The myth, of course, is spectacular, but there are documents indicating that formerly an artist He sold his paintings, although for more modest money.

On November 9, 2017, the film “Van Gogh. With love, Vincent." Psychotherapist Svetlana Belukhina dives into a psychoanalytic investigation into the causes of Van Gogh’s death, created by the scriptwriters, and talks about the artist’s struggle to find his own identity, the close connection between mania and melancholy that accompanied the artist throughout his life (today this disease is called “bipolar disorder”), and about how the bipolarity of his nature was reflected in Van Gogh’s work.

“He felt deeply, he felt tenderly...”

Film "Van Gogh. With love, Vincent” is not only an example of the incredible work of everyone who took part in its creation and faith in success, it became, perhaps, a reflection of the artist’s thirst for life and, most importantly, a gift of love modern world to the long-gone Vincent. Toy unconditional love, which he so desperately and stubbornly sought from his mother and which he still managed to awaken in humanity.

This is the world's first full-length animated film, fully drawn oil paints. Over 5 years in production, 115 artists around the world worked to create 65,000 paintings to bring 120 of Vincent's original works to life and tell the story of Vincent's life, as well as mysterious death greatest artist 19th century. Directed and produced by Oscar winner Hugh Welchman. Music by the magnificent Clint Mansell, author of the soundtracks to “The Fountain”, “Requiem for a Dream”, “Black Swan” and others.

Vincent Van Gogh, " Starlight Night"(1889) / Google Art Project

Movie "Van Gogh. With love, Vincent"- the work is unique. The screenwriters moved away from the traditional life story in order to immerse the viewer in an almost psychoanalytic investigation, as it happens in the analyst’s office - with resistance, forgetting and repression, and then with the gradual emergence of more and more new facts illustrating the drama inner world person.

According to the plot in detective investigation Armand Roulin, son of the Arleans postmaster, is launched. Last letter Vincent's letter to his brother Theo, which must be delivered personally, pushes Armand to begin his detective activities, first in Arles, then in Paris, and finally, the letter leads him to Auvers-sur-Oise, where Vincent lived last days before his death in 1890.

The investigation into the reasons for the death of the artist turns first into a hypothesis about the origins of deep internal drama Vincent and, as a result, the birth of the Artist in him, and then, after clarification of the circumstances, takes the form of inevitable awareness and sad acceptance of the reasons for his death.

Gradually, it becomes clear to Armand and the audience who Vincent really was, how deep his pain was and how damaged he was. It's about about the so-called replacement child ⓘ Famous surrogate children: Beethoven, Chateaubriand, Salvador Dali, Camille Claudel, Rainer Maria Rilke, Hermann Hesse... The French analyst Didier Anzieu's mother was a surrogate child.. Vincent was born, let us remind you, exactly a year later, to the day after the stillborn first-born, who bore the same name. The failure to begin grieving for their deceased son prevented the parents, especially the mother, from giving their second child vital love and acceptance. In the imagination of his parents, the deceased was ideal (and the deceased is always ideal), and the second Vincent was forced to struggle all his life to find his own identity. And he did this with incredible persistence and thirst through his creativity. Only three months before his death, he created 80 paintings and 60 sketches. He wrote:

“I want to touch people with my art, I want them to say - he feels deeply, he feels tenderly.”

But, as we know, out of 800 paintings he painted over 10 years of creativity, only one was sold - “Red Vineyards in Arles”.

In his younger brother Van Gogh was always looking for a sensitive, warm and resourceful mother, which the real one was never able to become, but the birth of his nephew, another Vincent, turned out to be an experience of unbearable competition, and could really lead Van Gogh to the idea of ​​​​stopping the struggle and ending his life. And the world turned out to be insensitive to Vincent, and Dr. Gachet became not the doctor he needed to cope with his internal drama.

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By the way, Sigmund Freud was only 34 years old at the time of Vincent’s death. Then in Vienna he studied hysteria, and wrote his “Sadness and Melancholy” only in 1915, where he discovered the key to the mechanism of this phenomenon.

“The melancholic complex acts like an open wound, attracting to itself the energy of all attachments ... and emptying the self,” he pointed out.

The feeling of loss of strength, lack of energy, decreased mood, periodically noted in Van Gogh according to the recollections of those who knew him, means a decrease in the sense of his subjective and bodily reality, and euphoria and hypomanic behavior were a kind of defense against the overwhelming fear of death and the feeling of non-existence. The philosopher Karl Jaspers in his work “Strindberg and Van Gogh” wrote about the artist’s hard work:

“He sees work as healing “fun.”

“She keeps me calm,” Van Gogh wrote, “so I won’t hurt myself.”

The terms “mania” and “melancholy” have been known since antiquity, although Aristotle not only did not recognize melancholy as a disease, but believed that it inspired the great artists of his era. It is interesting that the ancient physician Aretaeus from Cappadocia suggested a relationship between mania and melancholy, but this for a long time went unnoticed. In the 17th century, Theophilus Bonet combined these concepts in a description of the condition, which he called "manico-melancolicus". Then in 1851, Jean-Pierre Falret published an article on "cyclical insanity" (la folie circulaire), revealing how severe depression gives way to manic agitation, marking the first time a diagnosis of bipolar disorder had been made. In addition, Falre noted the genetic cause of bipolar disorder. Six years after Van Gogh's death, German psychiatrist Emil Kraepelin began researching manic-depressive psychosis, and his 1921 paper "Manic-depressive madness and paranoia" is still the basis of psychiatry.

The main cause of bipolar disorder, from which it is believed Van Gogh may have suffered, is now considered to be endogenous factors, a genetic predisposition. Such external conditions as early unsatisfactory relationships with mother and father in an atmosphere of denial of the death of the first-born can only be attributed to risk factors for the occurrence of mental disorders.
It is important to note that Benoit Bayle’s work “The Replacement Child” provides research data that makes it possible to link subsequent violations mental development a child with psychopathological causes and conditions that existed at the time of his conception (denial of death and the desire of the parents to replace the deceased child with a living one), which means that the risks of their occurrence can be prevented or reduced. With the help of modern analytical psychotherapy, it is possible to separate the mother’s ideas about the deceased child in her mental space from the ideas about the child who is about to be born. Psychotherapy starts the work of grief for the deceased child and opens living space for a new person.

Returning to the circumstances of Van Gogh's death, it should be mentioned that there is still a hypothesis that he was shot - the shot in the stomach was fired at such an acute angle that the person himself could not make it. However, whether the suspect in this attack, the hooligan Rene Sacré-Tan, is his killer cannot be proven.

At this point, we can only say that Van Gogh, although somehow mortally wounded in the stomach, was originally a “mortally wounded man.” From birth or even from conception, he, in the status of a substitute child, carried in his psyche the melancholic wound of his parents, formed as a result of the ungrieved loss of his first-born.

Despite the fact that the film mainly conveys the concentrated events of the difficult period immediately before the death of the artist, the film, nevertheless, does not leave a painful feeling. It awakens sorrow, gives birth to bright sadness and hope.

Of course, a special role is played unique way film adaptation of this story, which fascinates and makes the immersion into Van Gogh’s world – real and mental – as complete as possible.

Vincent Van Gogh, Self-Portrait (1887) / Google Art Project

Alternation bright paintings, oil paintings, primarily portraits and landscapes, and paintings in a black-and-white photorealistic style allow you to switch between the events of the investigation and the artist's past. This dichotomous alternation of plans also hints at the peculiarities of phase changes in bipolar disorder - depressive and manic. The dichotomy of Van Gogh’s work as a whole immediately comes to mind - his gloomy palette of the Dutch period and the riotous and manic colors of the Provencal stage, where color scheme becomes special: black and white disappear, bright colors combine with each other, creating a special play of shades.

It is impossible to remain indifferent and not be fascinated by this brilliant idea of ​​the director to revive the canvases. They are included in the picture as key frames or fragments that slowly come into motion. And this movement itself undoubtedly becomes a full-fledged character in the film. As if from the fog of the past, in the silvery tints of large strokes, the image of a young mother suddenly appears in the light of the morning sun, easily and naturally pulling back a strand of hair that had fallen into her eyes; So she turns her face to the child, and it lights up with a tender and affectionate smile.

Through this movement of the canvases, the revival of nature that we see on the screen, the idea is conveyed that Vincent, perhaps, finally got through. His attempt to revive his emotionally dead mother through his creativity is a success. And just like that, through the response of his admirers from all over the world, albeit symbolically, through time and distance, that gentle movement that he so longed for in his life took place in the traumatized soul. Something finally thawed.

I would like to think of this film as a reflection of the unconscious not only of the team and the director, but also, of course, a reflection of the unconscious of our society, which made possible the birth of both the team and the plan itself, and loyal viewers who are able to feel and appreciate this incredibly tender movement of love.

The short life of this artist was like a bright flash of lightning. Vincent Van Gogh lived only 37 years in the world, but left behind a fantastically enormous creative heritage: more than 1,700 works, including about 900 drawings and 800 paintings. at modern auctions they break all records for value, but during his lifetime he managed to sell only one of his works, which, in today’s money, brought him an income of only $80. The contradictory emotional personality of the artist and his unusual creativity were incomprehensible to most contemporaries.

Now many books have been written about the biography of the famous Dutchman, and his paintings and drawings occupy places of honor in the most prestigious art museums and galleries around the world. Let's remember creative path the great expressionist and magnificent, unlike any other, paintings by Van Gogh.

Three creative periods in the artist's life

The creative path of Vincent Van Gogh is conventionally divided by art historians into three periods: Dutch (1881-1886), Parisian (1886-1888) and late, which lasted from approximately 1888 until the artist’s death in 1890. This is so short creative life, only 9 years long, was destined for this man. The canvases painted during these time periods differ greatly from each other both in their subjects and in the manner of painting. I would like to clarify that Van Gogh’s paintings, the names of which are indicated in this article, are, of course, only a small part of his enormous artistic heritage.

Vincent Van Gogh began to engage in creativity much earlier than 1881, but then he was mainly attracted graphic drawing. He didn't get a professional art education, although I tried several times to study to become an artist. But he was never able to overcome the rebellious spirit within himself; his talent could not fit into any academic framework, which forced young Vincent to quit his studies and take up painting on his own.

Wag Gogh paintings from the Dutch period

Having discovered for himself, the artist began first of all to paint people, their harsh life, hard life. The canvases of this period are not at all similar to the bright, beautiful creations of Van Gogh, which later brought him deafening posthumous fame. Here characteristic works those years: “Tkach”, “Peasant Woman”. Color palette These paintings are dark and gloomy, like the very life of poor people.

It is clear how the artist passionately empathizes with his characters. Van Gogh had a very sympathetic, kind and compassionate soul. In addition, he was very religious, for some time he even served as a Christian preacher. He understood all the commandments of the New Testament literally. He wore the simplest clothes, ate meagerly and lived in the poorest shacks. At the same time, he came from a very wealthy family and, if he wanted, he could continue the family business (trade in paintings and art objects). But Vincent Van Gogh was not like that; he was good at painting, but not selling.

Parisian period

In 1886, Van Gogh left his native Holland forever and came to Paris, where he tried to study painting, attended exhibitions of fashionable painters, and became acquainted with the work of the Impressionists. Monet, Pizarro, Signac, Renoir made a huge impression on Van Gogh and had a significant influence on the further formation of his creative manner letters. Van Gogh begins to pay great attention color, now he is attracted not only by people, but also by landscapes and still lifes. The artist’s palette becomes brighter and lighter; Van Gogh’s talent as an excellent colorist begins to manifest itself in the works of the Parisian period.

B works like a man possessed, as always. Here are some typical paintings by Wag Gogh, painted at this time: “The Sea at Sainte-Marie”, “Bouquet of Flowers in a Blue Vase”, “Seine Embankment with Boats”, “Still Life with Roses and Sunflowers”, “Branch of Blooming Almonds”, “ Vegetable gardens in Montmartre", "Rooftops of Paris", "Portrait of a Woman in Blue", etc. Van Gogh's Parisian period was very fruitful; during these years the artist painted about 250 paintings. At the same time Van Gogh met Gauguin, their friendship and creative union becomes very valuable to him. But the characters of the two creators are too different. And it all ends in a quarrel that leads Vincent to nervous breakdown. Van Gogh's painting "Self-Portrait with a Cut-Off Ear and Pipe" dates back to this difficult period of his life.

Van Gogh's work in Arly

Gradually, noisy Paris began to weigh on Van Gogh, and in the winter of 1888 he went to Provence, to the town of Arles. Here he had to write his most brilliant creations. The beautiful nature of these places fascinates the artist. One after another, he creates such canvases as “Landscape with a road, a cypress and a star”, “Haystacks in Provence”, “Red Vineyards”, “Olive trees against the backdrop of the Alpille”, “Harvest”, “Field of poppies”, “Mountains in Saint-Rémy", "Cypresses" and many other incomparable landscapes - masterpieces of post-impressionist painting.

He also writes endless series floral still lifes. No one has ever painted flowers like Vincent Van Gogh. The paintings - the famous "Sunflowers" and "Irises" - were painted by him in Provence. The artist transfers onto canvas the endless fields of Provence, filled with clean, transparent air, flowering gardens, cypress trees, and luxurious olive groves. At the same time, he is also an excellent portrait painter. In Arles he painted many portraits and self-portraits.

Famous "Sunflowers"

Still life "Sunflowers" is one of the most popular paintings Van Gogh. Most of us know this painting from numerous reproductions. Meanwhile, the impressionist painted not just this one still life, but a whole cycle of seven paintings that depicted sunny flowers. But one of the works died in Japan during atomic bombing, the other was lost in one of the private collections. Thus, only 5 paintings from this series have survived to this day.

These are Van Gogh's paintings. The description and photograph of the reproduction, of course, cannot convey all the charm of the original. And yet I would like to dedicate a couple more lines to “Sunflowers”. This still life just splashes sunlight! Van Gogh outdid himself by finding in yellow color many shades. Some researchers believe that this work revealed the artist’s mental illness, as evidenced by this unusual brightness and richness of the still life.

Painting "Starry Night"

Van Gogh's painting "Night", or rather "Starry Night", was painted by him in Saint-Rémy in 1889. This is a large canvas measuring 73x92 cm. The color scheme of this fantastic creation by the artist is very unusual - a combination of blue, sky, dark blue and green with various shades of yellow.

The compositional basis is dark cypress trees on foreground, in the valley lies a small, inconspicuous town, and above it stretches an endless, restless sky with exaggeratedly huge stars and a luminous moon, as if swirling in a whirlwind. This picture, like most of Van Gogh’s works, must be viewed from a decent distance; up close it is impossible to perceive it holistically scattered large strokes.

Canvas "Church in Auvers"

Van Gogh's painting "The Church at Auvers" is also one of his most famous and popular works. This work was painted in the last year of the painter’s life, when he was already very ill. Van Gogh suffered from a severe mental disorder, which could not but affect his painting.

The drawing of the church, which is the center of the composition, is made with wavy, trembling lines. The sky - heavy, dark blue - seems to hang over the church and presses on it with its leaden weight. The viewer associates it with some impending threat and awakens anxious feelings in the soul. The lower part of the painting is bright, depicting a forked path and grass illuminated by the sun.

Cost of paintings

As mentioned earlier, the cost of the works of the Dutch post-impressionist is very high. But even with a huge amount money, it will be difficult to buy a painting, the author of which is the great Van Gogh himself. Paintings with the titles "Sunflowers" in currently can be valued at any mega-large amount. In 1987, one of the paintings from this cycle was sold at Christie's for $40.5 million. A lot of time has passed since then, and therefore the cost of this work could increase many times.

The painting "Arlesian Woman" was auctioned at Christie's in 2006 for 40.3 million, and "Peasant Woman in straw hat"was purchased in 1997 for $47 million. If the artist could live to this day, he would be one of the richest people on earth, but he died in poverty, not even suspecting how dearly his work would be appreciated by future generations.

Artist's paintings in Russia

In Russia, Van Gogh's paintings can be seen in St. Petersburg, in the Hermitage, as well as in Moscow, in the Museum fine arts them. Pushkin. In total, there are 14 works by Van Gogh in our country: “The Arena in Arles”, “The Huts”, “Morning”, “Landscape with a House and a Plowman”, “Portrait of Madame Trabuque”, “Boats to the House at Night”, “Ladies of Arles” ", "The Bush", "Prisoners' Walk", "Portrait of Dr. Felix Rey", "Red Vineyards in Arles", "Landscape in Auvers after the Rain".

Gustav Klimt. Kiss. 180x180 cm. 1907-1908. Belvedere Gallery, Vienna

If you have ever heard of Gustav Klimt (1862-1918), then you definitely know his work “The Kiss”.

What do we see in the picture? Two lovers on flower meadow hugged as if under a single golden blanket. A man kisses a woman on the cheek. And there's no one around. And nothing. Just a golden background. And they stand on the edge of a ravine, to be more prosaic. Or the universe, if it’s really romantic.

Why did this particular painting become the most famous among Gustav Klimt’s works? And is everything on it so clear? Are these people really in love?

Why is “The Kiss” like this?

Many techniques are intertwined in the picture. But most noticeable is the influence of the Byzantine icon. When you look at “The Kiss,” you immediately remember icons in gold frames. When the entire surface of the image is covered with a golden “veil”. And only the faces and hands are drawn with paints.

Byzantine icons in salaries were widespread in Russia, where, of course, Klimt was not. But similar icons are found in Italian churches. Where the artist could see them.

But in general, “The Kiss” fits into the Art Nouveau or Art Nouveau style (in the French style).

Floral ornaments. Ornate lines. Increased eroticism. Deliberate aesthetics. A favorite style for many women.

That is why “The Kiss” has more female fans than admirers. This is the most feminine style among all areas of art.

Is the kiss voluntary?

It is generally accepted that Klimt depicted lovers. A man kisses a woman on the cheek. And we understand that this is just a love foreplay. Just a little more, their robes will fall off. And then... however, Klimt more often wrote precisely this “further.” But in this picture everything is just beginning.

But did he really portray lovers? When I paid attention to the pose and gestures of the heroine, I had doubts.

Look how unusually the girl's hands behave. Her left hand holds the man's hand to her cheek. As if making a feeble attempt to push her away.

The right hand seems to cover the man from behind, but the fingers are very tense. It’s as if they don’t dare to fully touch the “loved one.” A man does not have such ambiguity in gestures.

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One could attribute such unusual gestures to Klimt’s personal vision. Maybe he believed that this is how a woman expresses her passion.

But if you look at his other works, it immediately becomes clear: he knew perfectly well how a woman who truly loves or completely surrenders to passion hugs.

Left: Sketch for the painting “The Kiss”. 1907-1908 Albertina Gallery, Vienna. Middle: fragment of the “Tree of Life” frieze. 1909 Palais Stoclet, Brussels. Right: Drawing of a standing couple hugging. 1908 Museum of the History of the City of Vienna.

It’s not so simple with the heroine’s legs either. She is on her knees. Essentially in a subordinate position. Which no longer corresponds to the status of being in love. In addition, the girl’s feet are very tense, and her toes rest against the edge of the cliff.

As if in the last hope to hold on and not break. Moreover, the stalks of the loach somehow very much resemble shackles.

Please note that in the sketch the cliff is also present, but the lovers stand on its edge as equals. And there is no feeling that any of them might fall apart.

It seems that Klimt actually intended to depict lovers. But still settled on a more ambiguous version of the relationship.

He is much older than her. This is obvious from the pointed features of his face. She is in a situation where she cannot say no. Either she agrees, or an abyss awaits her. Hence the tension in the arms and legs and the subordinate position.

For the beginning of the 20th century, this was a quite common situation. Beautiful silver-free women quickly submitted to the passions of rich, not always young, admirers.

Why is “The Kiss” so chaste?

Everyone knows that Klimt is about nudes. Very feminine, radiant, stylish, but still nude. Almost every one of his paintings features nude red-haired or dark-haired beauties.

“The Kiss” among these shocking works seems more than chaste. At least hang a reproduction in the nursery. Why?

At the beginning of the 20th century, Klimt was accused of being too frank and even creating pornography. Particularly prim comrades even suggested expelling him from the country.

To which Klimt countered with another frank work, “To My Critics.” Where the plump girl turned her appetizing... back to the viewer. However, later the master changed the name to “Goldfish”.

But still the critics pestered him a lot. It got to the point that from the beginning of the 20th century, Klimt refused to fulfill orders for monumental paintings in in public places. Preferring to create paintings for sale.

It is quite possible that "The Kiss" was a kind of retreat from the all-pervasive nude due to public pressure.

The most amazing thing is that this painting is considered Klimt’s main and most recognizable masterpiece. This is such a paradox. So many frank, mouth-watering delights. And the master’s most chaste work became the most recognizable.

However, there is no paradox. Due to the fact that the picture is quite worthy of the “6+” status, it was boldly inserted into any school textbook. If you needed to tell children about the art of the 20th century. And the children grew up and remembered this particular masterpiece.

Summarize. Why is “The Kiss” a masterpiece?

“The Kiss” is the quintessence of Klimt’s style and skill. The techniques used in the painting are not new to the artist. On the contrary, they are all found in his other works. "Carpets" of flowers. Golden robe of heroes.

Left: Blooming garden. 1907 Rho Foundation for the Third World, Zurich. On right: Golden Adele. 1907 New gallery in NYC

There are a lot of details in the picture. Flowers under the feet of the heroes, the intricate design of their clothes. But all this is contrasted with laconicism. An almost uniform golden background and the loneliness of the two figures.

This is not just a story about two lovers, it is a picture about sensory experience in general. The tilt of the head, the position of the arms and shoulders turn into a symbol of attraction. If the viewer has the experience of falling in love or a strong emotional attachment, he immediately remembers it when he looks at “The Kiss”.

All together - the heightened aesthetics, the combination of detail and conciseness, as well as lines and shapes that easily evoke an emotional response in the viewer - make The Kiss a masterpiece.

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