The art of a kiss

“Haven’t you finished yet?” “No, I have to take some more shots from some other angles.” “Well, then I will go and have a look at the Turner and come back.”“Just a few minutes more.”

That was Euan Uglow, eminent British painter, a friend of mine. I was taking photos of one of the greatest works in the history of art. August Rodin’s ‘Kiss’ at the Tate Briton in London.

At that time, this magnificent work was on a two-year loan to the museum. After finishing the shot, Euan and I set out to Soho for the evening at Norman’s Coach and Horses, a historic watering hole for many celebrities.

“Why do you think the ‘Kiss’ is a great work?” Euan asked me.“I think it is not just about sensuousness or the kiss. It has a great spiritual angle. In our ancient text on sex, The Kamasutra, a kiss is described as a spiritual union of two souls,” I explained.

“I agree with you,” said Euan, who is popular for painting nudes in an extraordinary style.

Showcasing love

One of the greatest sculptures by Rodin, ‘Kiss’ is the eternal symbol of love in its entire meaning and aesthetic flavour. The larger-than-life work that the sculptor conceived and created began from a small wax maquét. And it is said that the entire work was carved by his assistants and Rodin only gave finishing touches to the pristine marble.

The entwined male and female figures come alive with the passionate lip-lock in unimaginable poetic incarnation. The creator of ‘Thinker’ has succeeded in bringing out the eternal human emotion in its entirety. The sensually entwined bodies of a man and a woman in passionate embrace is a love poem written in marble.

A kiss is probably the greatest manifestation of human love. It manifests in different emotions. A mother’s kiss of pure love, a brother’s or sister’s kiss of affection and the lover’s kiss of passion — all have their own significant realities.

Many great artists from time immemorial have captured a kiss in multifarious manifestations in paintings, sculptures, graphics, drawings and in many other creative forms. One of the great works depicting the passionate kiss of lovers comes from Khajuraho. The walls of the Kanderiya Mahadeo Temple bring out all the passion and sensuality of a kiss prior to copulation.

Created in red stone, this work stands out from other erotic sculptures that adorn the temple walls. We find this theme coming alive in many ancient monuments of our cultural heritage all across the country.

The great Romanian sculptor extraordinaire Constantin Brancusi, who lived in India for some time, created one of the great masterpieces representing a kiss. Carved in stone in the shape of a cube, this work depicts lovers in a deep embrace. With their arms entwining each other’s body and lips in passionate union, the sculpture depicts a man and woman in ultimate intimacy. This work that looks extremely simple, evokes immense strength and aesthetic sense.

The ‘forbidden’

In 1892, post-Impressionistic painter Henri Toulouse Lautrec painted his work ‘In Bed The Kiss’. Lautrec’s masterpiece depicts a couple in bed embracing each other and kissing passionately. The partially-exposed bodies of the subjects have been rendered in almost realistic colours, with a dominant linear treatment. The execution and strokes are typical of Lautrec, giving a lot of importance to the drawing and linear content.

One of the most discussed work in the theme of kiss is probably the painting by Norwegian Painter Edward Munch. Created on wood-cut, the painting shows a couple in deep embrace. It looks like a dark silhouette against a textured gray background. The simple flowing lines depict the curvature of the bodies, bringing out the strength of the forms which look still in their eternal moment.

Austrian symbolist Gustav Klimt, who was an important member of the Vienna secession moment, created several works of erotic imageries. Highly decorative and in vibrant colours, his work, ‘The Kiss’, stands out for its individuality and original concept.

One of the most discussed and debated photographs of a kiss dates back to World War II. The highly-acclaimed picture was taken during V-J (Victory Over Japan) Day in Times Square when a sailor was caught on camera while kissing a girl in a white dress. This photograph by Alfred Eisenstaedt raised a debate over the identity of the sailor and the girl that was ultimately solved after a long time.  

All across the country, we find ancient monuments adorned by sculptures and paintings that depict erotica and many variations of sexual act. Even if we go further to the era of Mohenjo-daro and Harapa, we come across creations that celebrate sensuality. One of the prime examples of this is the ‘female dancer’. A six inches tall copper sculpture of a dancing nude that is now at the National Museum in New Delhi.

However, it is ironic that these exquisite creations portraying love and passion are often criticised by a few puritans who don’t seem to understand that these artefacts are part of our cultural heritage.