The Kiss of The Dreams – Gustav Klimt (1907-1908)

The Kiss

 “Stand close, so my heart could recognise its friend, 

My desire burns with fire painted in gold. 

I fear this dream will soon find its end, 

And if I wake up, I will lose you to life’s merciless cold.”

One of 19th century’s most famous paintings, The Kiss by Gustave Klimt portrays desire and passion in the most gentle way. Two lovers, dressed in spectacular golden robes, stand intertwined while the man gently embraces the woman, making her bend to her knees in love. Hanging in the Österreichische Galarie Belvedere Museum in Vienna, this 6 by 6 feet, lifesize painting gives desire a different, softer form. A painting that gave Klimt’s scandalous image a change, and that drew massive attention to itself even before it was finished. This magic painted in gold, is nothing less than a dream to witness. 

The Rebel behind The Kiss

Gustav Klimt was born in 1862 in Baumgarten outside of Vienna to a poor family. While his childhood was spent in poverty, Klimt along with his brother Ernst showcased incredible artistic talent from an early age. At only the age of 14, he was sent along with Ernst to a school of Applied Arts in Vienna where they learned several artistic techniques. And it was not long before they were taking up jobs to work for wealthy families of Vienna including decorating the ceiling and staircase of Vienna’s newly built Burgtheatre for which Klimt was awarded the Golden Cross of Merit. The design of the ceiling of Burgtheatre was one of the first influences of Klimt’s extravagant art style.

It was after the death of his brother and father in 1892 that Klimt’s rebellious side took over. In 1894, he was given a prestigious project of designing the ceiling of the Great Hall at Vienna University, a job he decided to give his personal touch to. The ceiling was required to showcase three themes in its art – Philosophy, Jurisprudence and Medicine. The art quickly became a topic of discussion, and not in a good way, as it was considered provocative, chaotic and out of theme. Igniting the first scandal Klimt found himself at the centre of.

Frustrated by the lack of freedom of expression at the time, the rebellious artist joined the Vienna Secession, a radical group of young artists, who like Klimt, had the will to challenge the conservative view of art. He remained true to his artistic freedom not only in his paintings but also in his personal life. His signature indigo-blue painter’s smock became a part of his free bohemian personality with his art, a fierce projection of his beautifully twisted mind. 

The Lover in Vienna

The Vienna of the 19th century saw a significant shift as Gustav Klimt’s life progressed. As I see it, both Vienna and Klimt’s life and growth were intertwined and both had a massive impact on each other. When Klimt was born in 1862, Vienna was experiencing cultural shift, as Klimt was growing up, several factors like music, architecture and social science were shaping the city’s future, which also meant that the city faced multiple challenges to let go of its past and move forward.

Klimt, on the other hand, delved into the artistic side of the city all while going through challenges in his own life. Having faced deaths and struggles of mental issues in his family, Klimt not only became rebellious, but also became terrified of mental illnesses.

Gustav Klimt was not much of a romantic. He was just an artist obsessed with sex who had 14 children with different women who were mostly his models and muses. He did have a lifelong companion named Emilie Flöge, who he never married. Then why this title of ‘Lover’? He sure was a lover, but of a different kind. Klimt paved the way for himself as well as for Vienna towards artistic greatness by contributing significantly to the field of art. Scandalous? Yes. Outrageous? Yes. But also unforgettable. So unforgettable that today whenever Vienna is mentioned, Klimt finds his way into the discourse. 

It takes immense love for oneself and for their passion to change an entire city’s outlook on art by being unapologetically themselves. Klimt’s bold themes not only changed Vienna’s art but also created space for artistic freedom and highlighted the idea of ‘femme fatale’ in the society, a theme he repeatedly used in his paintings showcasing strong, powerful women. Love, which is one of the major themes of The Kiss, but how is it that an unromantic man portrayed love so beautifully, when he himself was never like it?

Analysing The Kiss

Eyes closed in tenderness and knees bent in awe as she experiences the euphoria of the gentle, passionate kiss of her lover. Flowers adorn her hair, her hands naturally wrap around his neck. A mix of pink, purple and red coloured oval shaped patterns on her attire symbolise femininity and softness. She appears to have achieved utmost peace in his arms. The kind of peace one would trade their life for. Could it all be real? Or could it be the sweetest dream of her life? Before diving into this aspect, let us see in what other ways this painting is viewed. 

For some, the woman in the painting appears to be dying. The tranquil expression on her face symbolises her peaceful departure as her lover takes the chance to embrace her one last time. The two lovers seem to be standing at the end of a ground of flowers that appears to be shaped like a cliff – on the edge of which her feet are placed. This painting could symbolise a last goodbye. A last desire to fulfil before death pays a visit. 

While some see it that way, others think that The Kiss is anything but a symbol of love. They see the hands of the man placed on her face in a way that shows he wishes to not let her go – which indicates that the kiss is being forced upon her. Some even bring these two interpretations together and give it an angle of the man being a necrophiliac. However, there could be a third way of looking at the painting. A way that has a happy ending in another dimension. A way where the kiss is a part of a beautiful dream. 

The Dream

Standing in the middle of a golden void are two lovers. An indefinite golden shape surrounds them. Perhaps a bubble that keeps the two away from the ‘other dimension’ till one of them wakes up. The man holds the woman with all the passion he has in him, and kisses her gently on the cheek. His robe has rectangular designs that are understood to highlight his masculinity and protective nature. The passionate kiss is felt by the woman in her bones, she is so swooned that she closes her eyes and melts to her knees. 

They do stand on the edge of a ground decorated with flowers with some traces of gold that flows down the woman’s feet. The ground perhaps indicates a beautifully adorned dream that is about to end. And since it is the woman who stands at the edge of it, we can guess that it is her dream. She clings to her lover’s body in hopes that this moment would manifest into reality. We do not know what happens after, but this particular moment of passion captured by Klimt is a moment to cherish, for the lovers as well as the viewers. 

Desire in Imagination – Love on the Canvas

The fact that Klimt never married and was not a romantic makes The Kiss even more fascinating. Some believe that the woman in the painting is his lifelong companion Emilie Flöge, while others say that it was one of his other muses. The painting is also said to be based on the Myth of the Greek Gods Apollo and Daphne. But personally, I believe that the painting is an example of the beauty of Klimt’s mind, who in his head held such tenderness and passion that became a symbol of love. 

The Kiss was actually purchased by the Austrian government before Klimt could even finish it. And it marked an end to his scandalous image making it one of his most loved works of his Golden era. Before The Kiss, Klimt had painted desire in its obvious, noticeable form, which had shocked his viewers for years. His bold, unusual themes made him widely infamous. However, with The Kiss he showed the pure form of desire that did not overpower the frame. 

Klimt left space in his canvas for love, passion and desire and handed over the story to the viewer that showed how a beautiful mind can bring beautiful art to life.