The Kiss Throughout Art History

Love is in the air! With Valentine’s Day right around the corner, Artsper has gathered a few of the most iconic images of the kiss in the history of art. Whether in painting or in sculpture, romantic gestures are an all-time source of inspiration for artists. Hopefully, these dreamy kissing scenes will inspire you too, just in time for your next date…

Francesco Hayez, The Kiss, 1859

You have probably encountered Francesco Hayez’s romantic scene before. Il Bacio in Italian represents what seems to be a passionate farewell kiss. Painted in a period of social and political turmoil, Hayez’s painting is a prominent work of Italian Romanticism, filled with as much passion as tension. The medieval and patriotical atmosphere of this work managed to seduce the Italian public which, at the time, was fighting for the independence of its country. 

Edvard Munch, Kiss by the Window, 1892

Born in 1963 in Norway, symbolist artist Edvard Munch is mostly known for his gloomy and disturbing paintings such as The Scream (1893), Anxiety (1894), and Melancholy (1892). Like many artists of his time, Munch suffered greatly throughout his life and expressed it through expressionist painting. Kiss by the Window is part of one of his series The Frieze of Life, depicting the successive life stages. This blue atmosphere feels both intimate and threatening, secretive yet uneasy. The lovers’ faces merge to create one blurry shape; an intriguing specificity of Munch’s style.  

Constantin Brancusi, The Kiss, 1912

One of the earliest sculptural experimentations with Cubism, Brancusi’s 1912 representation of a kiss was way ahead of its time. It is intriguing by its minimalism, while still carrying a strong and touching symbolism. Here again, the lovers’ figures blend into one shape, but in a way that reminds us of the possible strength of a union.

René Magritte, Les Amants I, 1928

You’ve probably heard of the Belgian artist René Magritte for his ability to turn everyday objects into sources of reflection. His surrealist and symbolic painting The Lovers is an amusing play on the artist’s interest in what lies beyond the surface. The scene is reminiscent of a cinematic kiss, but at the same time, it does not let us see as much as we would want. Something to frustrate voyeurs…

Roy Lichtenstein, Kiss II,1964

The singular style of Roy Lichtenstein made him a timeless reference of the Pop Art genre. With his bright colors and dramatic scenes, Lichtenstein’s signature comic book style was initially intended to be a parody. He wanted his subject matters to be as obvious as possible, to counteract the rapid rise of abstraction. Largely criticized for going back to straightforwardness at a time when art wished to be more complex, he was even named “Worst artist in North America” by Life Magazine in 1964. Nonetheless, in 2017, his work Masterpiece was sold for 165 million dollars!

Whether abstract, Expressionist or even Neo-classic, the kiss is a symbol that is continuously reinvented by artists. If you wish to dive a little bit more into the romantic spirit, discover Artsper’s exploration of love in art history, or our selection of artworks inspired by love.

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