{"id":22744,"date":"2024-10-30T09:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-10-30T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/areademo.beculture.it\/?p=22744"},"modified":"2024-10-17T19:12:37","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T17:12:37","slug":"kiss-in-art","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/areademo.beculture.it\/en\/kiss-in-art\/","title":{"rendered":"The kiss in art: a love story in 10 works"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How much can a kiss convey? And how many forms of love can it express? When you think about it, such a simple and human gesture hides a great variety of meanings, so it’s natural to find it in art<\/strong>, represented in countless ways and styles.
To showcase the versatility of this subject, we’ve chosen ten kisses that illustrate just as many types of love: from the passionate to the allegorical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mythological affections: the sensuality of Eros\u2019s kisses<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The revival of classical art and literature during the Renaissance led to the rediscovery of mythological tales, including those featuring Eros as the protagonist.The god of Love – Cupido to the Romans – has always been subject to numerous interpretations regarding his powers and origins (he was, among others, both the son of Afrodite and present at the goddess’s birth). Starting from the Hellenistic age, however, his appearance became codified, and Eros took on the form of a winged child armed with a bow and arrows<\/strong>. It’s in this form that we find him in many ancient works, often multiplied into various amorini <\/em>(the Sarcofago con gli Eroti atleti<\/em> from around 140-150 AD, now in the Uffizi<\/a>, is an example), as well as in Renaissance works and beyond.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L\u2019Allegoria dell\u2019Amore<\/em> by Bronzino<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A subtle yet highly sensual kiss<\/strong> is depicted between the youthful Eros and Venere by Agnolo di Cosimo di Mariano, known as Bronzino<\/a>. The Allegoria con Venere e Cupido<\/em> (1540-1550, London, National Gallery) is one of his most enigmatic paintings. “He made a painting of singular beauty,” writes Vasari in his Vite<\/em>1<\/sup>, “which was sent to King Francesco in France, containing a nude Venus being kissed by Cupido, with Piacere on one side and Giuoco with other loves, and on the other Fraude, Gelosia, and other passions of love”.
It’s probable that the artist was inspired by Venere e Cupido <\/em>by Pontormo<\/a>, his mentor (1530, Florence, Galleria dell’Accademia<\/a>), where the goddess appears intent on stealing an arrow while Cupido tries to kiss her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"venere
Venere e Cupido<\/em>, Pontormo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Bronzino’s panel is certainly more provocative and crowded: Eros brings his lips close to his mother’s<\/strong> while squeezing her breast and encircling her head to steal her crown. Afrodite, in turn, has both hands occupied: with her right, she grasps an arrow, and in her left, she holds Paride’s golden apple. Their pale bodies contort in extreme poses – typical of Mannerist iconography<\/a> – standing out against a background populated by figures, masks, and animals with allegorical meanings. It’s a complex painting where all facets of love<\/strong> coexist, including: voluptuousness and purity (the two protagonists), Gelosia tearing her hair, Frode (the girl with inverted hands and claws), Follia or Piacere distributing roses, and Tempo looming from above.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Amore e Psiche<\/em> by Canova<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The theme of Amore e Psiche, already present in classical sculpture, had a significant influence on artistic imagination at least until the 18th century. Dating from this period is the eponymous sculptural group created by Antonio Canova, now housed in the Louvre in Paris. Commissioned by Colonel John Campbell in 1787 but never delivered due to his financial problems, it was purchased by Gioacchino Murat and sold to Napoleon in 1808.
Amore e Psiche<\/em> depicts the climax of the mythological story, when Cupido – having descended into the Underworld to save Psiche from the cruel fate Venere had condemned her to – awakens her with a kiss. Canova represents the lovers in an embrace<\/strong> that is both ethereal and carnal, embodying an abstract and earthly beauty simultaneously. Just observe the harmonious intertwining of their arms, the contact of their bodies (with the light yet perceptible pressure of Eros’s hand on his beloved’s breast), the expressions on their faces, and the rendering of the marble material that seems alive.
And the kiss? It’s there, suspended: the two are immortalized a moment before their lips meet<\/strong>, already quite close but not yet united, in a gesture of great delicacy and erotic intensity. A masterpiece of Neoclassicism, the work is striking for the infinite viewpoints from which it can be admired.<\/p>\n\n\n