The famous painting 'The Kiss' (In German: Der Kuss) was painted by Gustav Klimt between 1907-08. Famous as Symbolist painter Gustav Klimt was Austrian and painted a number of works in a similar gilded style. The period when he painted The Kiss was his golden period and this painting in particular was highpoint of this time. 'The Kiss' depicts a couple embracing, their bodies entwined in elaborate robes decorated in a style influenced by both linear constructs of the contemporary Art Nouveau style and the organic forms of the earlier Arts and Crafts movement.
Considered Klimt's most popular work, the painting is now in the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere museum in the Belvedere palace, Vienna, and is widely considered a masterpiece of the early modern period. Klimt was 45 when he painted The Kiss. Gustav Klimt’s sensual works expressed themes of regeneration, love and death, and also incorporated Egyptian, Classical Greek, Byzantine and Medieval styles. His creative influence can still be seen in today’s art, decorations and jewelry. Read Gustav Klimt biography.
