The Kiss (Klimt) (Great Art)

THE KISS (Gustav Klimt, Austrian, 1907-08)

Few paintings have the odd visual impact of Gustav Klimt's The Kiss. At first it just looks like an abstract image, but when we see the faces (and her feet, where she is bent at the knee) we realize what it shows: lovers entwined together in contrasting robes, lying on a field of flowers and with flowers in their hair. After painting oil on a 6x6-foot canvas, Klimt added gold leaf to the painting's surface to create an ethereal effect. This medieval technique contrasts with the modern patterns on the robes, as do the flowers. It is Klimt's most popular work.

• Despite the robes, the painting (originally titled The Lovers) was widely considered pornographic when it was first exhibited in 1908.
• In the same way, his use of gold leaf, used in religious images in the Middle Ages, was considered by some to be sacrilegious.

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(Image courtesy Wikimedia Commons; CTTO)