BELVEDERE, Klimt - The Kiss

The most interesting section of the exhibition is devoted to a series of celebrated works by masters such as Klimt, Kokoshka and Schiele. Some of these works were the object of an infamous court case, and were recently returned to the Jewish families they were taken from by the Nazis.

Especially important are the paintings by Gustav Klimt: landscapes, portraits, and intense, sensual allegorical scenes. A much-loved masterpiece of his is The Kiss, painted in 1909, at the height of the period when Klimt embellished his paintings by applying thin sheets of gold leaf. The two lovers, embracing and kissing, seem isolated from the real world, immersed in an other-worldly dimension of emotions, feelings and abandonment. The man has his head bent toward his beloved; all we can see of him is his thick black hair, strong neck, and a small portion of his face. His large, strong, manly hands are squeezing the woman very gently, in a protective, gentle, affectionate embrace. The woman has her eyes closed, completely absorbed in the tender, poignant embrace. Her right hand is almost abandoned on the neck of her beloved, while her left hand is caressing his.

But this splendid dream of love is less idyllic than it appears. The meadow dotted with flowers comes to an abrupt end, and the girl's feet are facing the edge of a cliff. The precarious position of the two lovers alludes to the classic theme of the brevity of youth, and how rapidly the season of love can fade. And although Klimt could certainly not have imagined it, less than five years after the painting was completed, many lovers in Europe would be exchanging passionate yet sad farewell kisses. Dressed in army uniforms, the young men would be boarding trains headed for the trenches of World War I. And the sun would indeed be setting on the happy Austria depicted by Klimt.

An interesting fact: The use of gold leaf and some of the stylistic elements of The Kiss were inspired by the Byzantine art Klimt had admired during his travels to Ravenna, Italy, where he was fascinated by the splendid gold mosaics in the churches.