Hannah Jurgens

Pd. 7
Compare/Contrast: The Kiss

Sometimes works of art tackle the same subject but have a completely different approach
to presenting that subject. This is the case with two pieces both titled The Kiss; the one by
Constantin Brancusi and the one by Gustav Klimt. They both feature two figures kissing,
resembling a man and a woman. The two different versions of The Kiss manage to convey a
sense of closeness and intimacy within their own mediums and were created during the early
1900s. Human feelings and emotions are prominent within the two The Kiss works. Despite
sharing something as broad as subject matter in common, both pieces use different methods of
getting that core theme of closeness across to the audience.
The Kiss by Gustav Klimt is an oil and gold leaf on canvas work. Theres something so
personal in the manner in which the male figure grabs onto the female figure and kisses her.
Only the heads and hands of the couple are visible and detailed. The gold and swirling abstract
color that envelops them simulates a sense of spiritually, as if the two beings were the sole ones
left in the universe and slowly evaporating into the cosmos. In contrast, The Kiss by
Constantin Brancusi is limestone
sculpture that takes a much more primitive approach. Instead of
having defined figures like in Klimts piece, Brancusi makes it very difficult to even tell what the
sexes of the two beings are. Theyre blocks that almost look exactly alike, aside from a few
subtle details. The simplistic nature of the eyes and the hair makes it appear as though the male

and female characters are coming together as one and forming a new being with their intimacy. It
displays human nature so prominently with so little detail to it.