Kiss in the Art History

and how art can mean more than one thing at once…

The Kiss, painted by Francesco Hayez in 1859, is surely one of history's most perfect portrayals of romance.

But it also has a hidden political message.

Francesco Hayez, The Kiss (1859).

He was an Italian painter.

He is considered one of the leading artists of Romanticism in mid-19th-century Milan and is renowned for his grand historical paintings, political allegories, and portraits.

A fresco from Pompeii showing the kiss of a Roman couple

Using Gustav Klimt’s famous painting “The Kiss” as an example

The Kiss

The Kiss 1907–08, oil on canvas, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna.

The Kiss 1907–08, oil on canvas, Österreichische Galerie Belvedere, Vienna.

Title: The Kiss

Creator: Gustav Klimt

Date created: 1908–1909

Physical Dimensions: w180 x h180 cm