The Kiss

par David Beaulieu 15 février, 2021

Check out fun facts about this famous masterpiece of the artist’s “Golden Period”.

Painted between 1907 and 1908, this work depicts a couple embracing each other, their bodies entwined in elaborate beautiful robes.

Painted between 1907 and 1908, this work depicts a couple embracing each other, their bodies entwined in elaborate beautiful robes.

Did You Know?

A Self-Portrait? Well, the mystery man in The Kiss may be Gustav Klimt himself! In fact, this may be Klimt’s only known self-portrait, but it is only conjecture ; there is no evidence or record to prove this.

Wet Paint- Do Not Touch! The Kiss wasn’t even finished before it was purchased by the Austrian government through The Österreichische Galerie Belvedere (Belvedere Museum), where the painting still hangs. It is considered a national treasure.

Just Look at the Size of It! The painting is quite large: shaped as a perfect square, the canvas measures an astonishing 180 cm X 180 cm, nearly 6-foot square!

Reputation on the Rocks. Klimt’s career wasn’t going well when he created his most famous masterpiece. He had just finished a three-part ceiling painting for the University of Vienna and the nudity in his works was highly criticized. His work was derided as “pornography” and “perverted excess”, which hurt his reputation. The popularity of The Kiss turned his career around.

Medicine , one of the three paintings made by Klimt for the ceiling of the University of Vienna’s Great Hall.

A Golden Period . The Kiss is the final painting of Klimt's Golden Period, during which he incorporated gold leaf into his works. It was during a trip to Italy in 1903, where he saw the Byzantine mosaics in the Church of San Vitale, that he was inspired to use gold in his paintings, ultimately creating his signature style.

A Japanese Influence. In the painting , the man's head nearly touches the top of the canvas, which reflects an influence of Japanese prints and a departure from traditional Western canons.