The Depression-era song “A Kiss to Build a Dream On,” which Louis Armstrong made famous in the ’50s, finishes with the lyrics: “Oh give me your lips for just a moment/ And my imagination will make that moment live/ Oh give me what you alone can give/ A kiss to build a dream on.” Over the course of art history, painters, sculptors, poets, and photographers have — as the song suggests — used their vivid imaginations to bring the kiss to life as a symbol of fresh love, renewed love, and even black-and-blue love.
With Valentine’s Day in mind, we’ve selected the 10 best art kisses — ranging from erotic embraces in paintings by Gérôme and Klimt and sensual smooches in sculptures by Rodin and Brancusi to lustful lip-locking in works on paper by Picasso and Man Ray — so that you, too, can share the love. If we missed one of your favorite make-out moments in art, tell us about it in the comments.
Click through below for a gallery of images.
Jean-Léon Gérôme’s 1890 painting of Pygmalion and Galatea, from New York’s Metropolitan Museum’s collection, depicts a tale from Ovid’s Metamorphoses of Pygmalion creating a sculpture of Galatea, which he envisions as the ideal woman and wishes could be real, being brought to life by the goddess Venus and joyfully embraced by the artist in his studio.
Comments (26)
My personal favorite, though they’re not quite kissing (yet): http://www.flickr.com/photos/christwise/5380344124/
The best
Why is there no work by any women artists??? C’mon.
Tino Sehgal, “The Kiss”
MUCH adored this tasteful article…and SWAK- sealing this with a kiss~ (>_<)
Jupiter and Io, by Corregio
Here are the Worst Art Kisses of all Time:
http://www.lozano-hemmer.com/make_out.php
In my opinion the list is incomplete without Egon Schiele’s Embrace.
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Where are the Edvard Munch’s Kisses!!!!!????
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The English teacher in me has to correct… Consecrate = to make or declare sacred. Consummate = to bring to completion, eg consummate a marriage = make love. Rodin’s couple does not consummate their kiss.
In keeping with the almost-kisses in this collection (much appreciated, by the way!) : Fra Lippi’s “Casement.”
http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/works-of-art/89.15.19
I find the moment before a kiss to be just as romantic — if not moreso; the anticipation! — as the actual kiss. Thanks for the fun article!
Fascinating! Add: “Psyché ranimée par le baiser de l’Amour” by Canova.
Mixie,
You could not be more correct. I find ‘Psyche’ more erotic and more about love and anticipation of the kiss than all the 1-10 examples.
Isn’t Alfred Eisenstaedt’s Times Square ” Kiss ” more gratifying than Man Ray’s sterile accidental kiss ? Instead of Magritte one example of the ancient Oriental Erotic Art could enrich this list.
“Consummated,” not “consecrated.”
the pictures of Robert Doisneau or the sculpture of Wang Du…
Now, i would love a piece about the best movie kisses… :)
I second the vote for Robert Doisneau. Love that photograph.
Magritte was such a genius — and a prophet. Surreal you say? Nowadays if you’re not into anonymous, uncommitted sex you’re some kind of weirdo!
Earlier painting poll: http://snaporaz.posterous.com/miss-painted-lady
Thank you, readers! The kiss touches everyone. Fra Lippi’s almost kiss was unknow to us, but such a delight; Doisneau was on our primary list, but we wanted to spread the love between different periods;Alfred Eisenstaedt’s Times Square Kiss was also on our A-list, but got set free because it’s more of a pop culture kiss than an art kiss; and Canova’s sculpture is amazing. Keep the kisses coming…
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A woman artists? How about Malvina Hoffman (student of Rodin). Her Column of Life of 1917 is exquisite!
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Alex Grey 1983 – The Kiss
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