The Kiss

The Kiss is the most famous painting of Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. The first time I saw this painting was on the morning of January 1st, 2025, in the street of old quarter of Hanoi. 

The giant mural of this painting was replicated on the wall of an art gallery entrance.  It attracted my attention right away when I saw it. In the painting, a women kneeled in a flowered medows,  a man bent over her, two hands cradled her head, placing a gentle kiss on her right cheek. She was in a blissful,  calm,  serene state; Her eyes closed, head bent backwards a little, her right arm wrapped around his neck, her left hand held his right hand. 

The man had a patterned robe, the woman flower decorated dress. They seem to be in a halo due to the added gold leaf, silver and platinum.

The impression of the painting is deposited in my memory.  

Last week, a commercial for an exhibit from Kallang Wave Mall flashing the painting of The Kiss brought back my memory of it. We went for a hybrid outing on Sunday with outdoor hiking along Kallang river and indoor immersive art at Gustav Klimt art exhibit.

Because Klimt's paintings featured gold regularly, the name of the exhibition is Gustav Klimit - Falling in Gold.

Of course the Kiss is prominently featured in this exhibit - a floor to ceiling replica of the painting is placed at the end of a "tunnel " that chronicleed his paintings with Beethoven 9th symphony as the theme.

Many of paintings were related to Greek mythology and biblical stories. 

 'Danaë", painted by Gustav Klimt in 1907, is an oil masterpiece exemplifying Symbolism, depicting the moment when Zeus, in the form of a golden shower, impregnates the maiden Danaë, who is imprisoned in a bronze chamber. It symbolizes the interplay of the divine and the corporeal. 

One intresting and profound quote from the painter is "Truth is like fire; to tell the truth means to glow and burn ". His painting Nuda Veritas 1899 reflects Klimt's bold exploration of themes that challenge societal norms, particularly through the direct depiction of nudity and sensuality, which sparked widespread controversy. It was rebellion against the dominant classical realism techniques, showcasing an inevitable transformation trend in the art world.

At the top of the painting is a quote from the German poet Schiller: "If you cannot please everyone with your deeds and your art, please only a few. To please the many is bad."