The Kiss

A man and woman stand wrapped together in an ornate robe patterned with gold, their heads tilted close as they kiss. They kneel on a bed of flowers that spreads across the lower edge, while the rest of the scene glows with gilded leaf. The embrace fills the canvas, isolating the couple as if they existed in their own radiant world. This piece was created in 1907 using oil on canvas. Gustav Klimt (1862–1918) worked within Art Nouveau, and his output also includes the Beethoven Frieze. Looking closely, the garments of the two lovers differ in design, his covered in bold rectangles and hers in round, floral forms, suggesting a contrast between masculine and feminine within the same golden embrace.