Representative Work

A specific piece of artwork I chose as a representation of myself is “The Kiss” by Gustav Klimt (1907). I chose this painting because I was drawn by all of the colors and different shapes Klimt chose to portray as the woman and the man. I also have seen this piece of art many times as a teenager by people who imitate/make a parody of it in the media. This artwork has a dull and plain background, which highlights the main aspect of the piece: the two lovers sharing a warming and sensual kiss, patterned with golden cloaks. I enjoy that there is a contrast between the man’s black and white rectangles compared to the woman’s colorful ovals and flowers. The work overall speaks to me. This piece of art speaks to me because of the pure love between the two subjects and because of the bright and cheerful colors associated with the painting. It looks like these two people are standing on some sort of hill’s edge filled with flowers. To me, that really makes this painting feel more romantic. I bet these two just had the most perfect day and are so engrossed and in love with each other that they cannot simply separate themselves. The gold makes this painting exude class and happiness at the same time. With further inspection, the male subject seems to have flowers or vines in his hair: a sign of always having a piece of his partner with him. After researching this piece, The Kiss was the beginning of Klimt’s Golden Period. The Golden Period to Klimt was a piece of something he cannot have: intimacy and a real relationship because Klimt was not married during his lifetime. The Kiss currently resides at Austrian Gallery Belvedere, where the artist Gustav Klimt was from.