Where Is The Painting The Kiss Located

The Kiss, 1907-1908

Austrian artist Gustav Klimt is known for his ethereal, pattern-rich portraits. Today, several of these canvases are considered masterpieces, though This Kiss, a specially exquisite piece, seems to float above the rest.

Featuring shimmering gold tones, stylized forms, and sentimental iconography, The Kiss has enchanted audiences since its completion in 1908. Today, the monumental piece is housed in Vienna'due south esteemed Österreichische Galerie Dais, though its illustrious legacy transcends Klimt's Austrian roots.

Art Historical Context

Equally a member of the Secessionist Movement and a pioneer of Symbolism—a European genre of art characterized by mystical motifs, a personal approach to the visual arts, and an artful similar to the contemporaneous Fine art Nouveau and Arts and crafts movements—Gustav Klimt often took an advanced arroyo to painting. His distinctive style is peculiarly apparent inThe Kiss, which was painted during his luminous "Gilt Period."

Works produced during this time feature pronounced planes and delicate detailing made of gold foliage. Inspired past Byzantine mosaics, this gilding gives each piece a glimmering appearance that accentuates the ethereal nature of Klimt's field of study matter and fashion. In addition to The Kiss, Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907),Judith and the Caput of Holofernes (1901), and H2o Serpents I (1904) convey this glimmering aesthetic.

Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I, 1907

Judith and the Head of Holofernes, 1901

H2o Serpents I, 1904

Field of study Affair

The Kiss depicts an embracing couple kneeling in a grassy patch of wildflowers. Clad in a geometrically-printed robe and with a crown of vines on his head, the human being cradles the woman's face as he leans in to buss her. The female person figure—whose colorful, organically patterned dress contrasts her partner'south garment—wears flowers in her pilus. As she wraps her arms around her partner's neck, her eyes are peacefully closed, emphasizing the tranquility and intimacy of the scene.

The Kiss, 1907-1908

Klimt often explored this theme of love in his piece of work. InThe Tree of Life, a mosaic from hisStoclet Frieze series, two figures that carry hit resemblance to those featured in The Buss—both compositionally and aesthetically—are shown in a similar intimate embrace.

The Tree of Life, Stoclet Frieze, 1909

The Tree of Life, Stoclet Frieze (detail)

This amorous focus is also evident in Dear, an early on piece painted in 1895. While, stylistically, this work has niggling in common with Klimt'southward more than well-known paintings, its romantic subject matter conveys his interest in exploring and capturing love."Whoever wants to know something about me," he said, "should look attentively at my pictures and there seek to recognize what I am and what I want."

Love, 1895

Every bit apparent in The Family unit, another gilded painting past Klimt, the artist's trend toward this iconography is not limited to romantic love. In this depiction, a sleeping mother and male parent hug their child. Like The Osculation, the scene offers a quiet glimpse into an intimate human relationship.