Gustav KLIMT (1862-1918), "The Kiss" (Kiss-1908).

Color lithograph, high-grain veline paper; 44 x 30 cm (composition), 70 x 50 cm (sheet);signed on plate under composition p. d. "Gustav Klimt" and numbered in pencil "52/200". Publisher's dry stamp l.d.: "trec, Edizioni Pregiate" and hologram "verification of authenticity" on the reverse. Original certificate.
The kiss was painted with oil paints on canvas, measuring 180x180 cm. The author also used gold flakes to create the work. The painting depicts a pair of lovers lost in a loving embrace on the slope of a flower meadow. The lovers, clad in golden robes, are captured in a pose suggesting an impending kiss.
At first glance, the image forms a shimmering patch of gold. Only after a moment does a woman's face, faint with delight, emerge in the upper part, her naked arm protruding from a multicolored tight dress, and a tiny hand resting on the man's neck. The woman kneeling on the flowery ground is embraced by a stocky barbaric brunet with a dark complexion. Only the profile of his face is visible. He holds his partner's head with his hands to place a kiss on her cheek.The lovers sink into their geometrically stylized robes. Her yellow dress is decorated with bunches of red and navy blue flowers in the shape of circles, a symbol of femininity. His golden coat - dark brown and white surrounded by brown angular rectangles. The male figure appears to protect and shield the woman. She embodies soft gentleness, but is an equal partner. Neither figure dominates.
"Golden period" in which the work was created is the period of Klimt's painterly fascination with gold. Many of the artist's paintings created during this period, have rich ornamentation made of sincere gold flakes. It is likely that the popularity of The Kiss is also due to the use of this technique. On the one hand, gold in art evokes primarily mystical and religious associations, on the other hand, it has a real value identified with a high price. During this period, the artist created work on an international scale and rose to the elite of Europe's most expensive portrait painters.
In 1908 it was purchased by the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere in Vienna and is still in its collection today.
The frames shown in the visualizations are for illustrative purposes only and do not constitute a commercial offer.