7 famous artists and their mysterious paintings about the brightest feelings: Klimt, Magritte, etc

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The theme of love is one of the most popular in art, and paintings by famous artists are no exception. Bright, romantic, sensual and emotionally rich, they allow you to plunge into an unusual whirlpool of emotions. What kind of paintings and what masters of art today are the most striking incarnations of the romantic theme - what we will talk about today.

1. Klimt

Few works of art are as adored or widely reproduced as Gustav Klimt's The Kiss. Luxurious gilded hugs adorn posters, cups, and ten-dollar T-shirts around the world, but the painting's history is much more than its commercial ubiquity today.

When Klimt created his masterpiece, he was already the fearless leader of the Vienna Vanguard. In addition, he made himself implacable enemies in the prim Austrian art establishment, which loathed the shameless sensuality and aesthetic decadence of his work.

Klimt's "Kiss" is the archetype of human tenderness and desire. He represents passionate eroticism and how this eroticism consumes lovers. The painting, born of Klimt's "golden period", features sparkling golden tones, stylized strokes and a very romantic visual allegory inspired by Byzantine mosaics. Notably, the eye-catching head color includes gold leaf particles for effect.

The plot of the portrait is a couple sharing an intimate embrace, their bodies are partially hidden by a majestic dress, when they kneel in the flowers of the field, and from the expression on the woman's face you can see how she rejoices at being in the arms of her lover and receiving his kiss.

This picture crosses social boundaries: it illustrates that once people are consumed with passion, they are spiritually liberated from attachment to this world and its limitations. They become one with the cosmos, which accepts all creatures, regardless of genetics.

Interesting fact: At the time of its writing, The Kiss was regarded by post-Victorian society as pornographic material, and today this work of art is considered one of the most outstanding and unique of its kind.

2. Roy Lichtenstein

At first glance, this romantic picture of lovers may seem very strange. But in fact, everything is much simpler, you just have to delve into the context of this work.

American hottie dating a pretty blonde. Their "love" is so deep that the outside world has ceased to exist, and they do not even need air to breathe when they go headlong under the water in each other's arms.

However, Roy Lichtenstein is actually making fun of the superficiality of love here. This whole image is false and distorted because it represents the illusion of "perfect love".

It is no coincidence that he made it look like an advertisement, forcing the picture to serve a much deeper goal: to show the reality of how people “buy” such illusions, without thinking about what they are actually being offered.

Interesting fact: for this canvas, Liechtenstein used a split panel composition between text and image. This was to blend the narrative between the two characters.

3. Rene Magritte

Lovers II is a piece that reveals the reality of love when it doesn't go as expected. On the one hand, it is a romantic painting depicting lovers sharing a kiss in close-up. But, on the other hand, it is a sad, almost intrusive image. René Magritte was known for his themes of unfulfilled desires, so perhaps the veils wrapped around the heads of the protagonists could be interpreted as such. They prevent the couple from engaging in a full kiss because they are isolated and thus frustrated.

However, other interpretations are inclined to believe that everything here is much sadder than it seems at first glance. Could this be a reflection of rejection, denial of love? Does it represent the relationship as a whole, and how often are they disrupted due to various problems, including lack of communication?

This picture is so contradictory that, based on the above interpretations, the artist can also show in this image that no matter how close a person comes to his partner, he will never know his true nature, which is represented by fabric barriers.

For, as they say, "every person is an island." Such a creative technique plays on the reality that people often hide - they put on masks, allowing others to see only what lies on the surface, and not what is in the depths of their souls.

Interesting fact: when Rene was fourteen, his mother committed suicide by drowning. He saw her body being pulled out of the water, and her face was covered by a nightgown.

It has been suggested that the artist's common motive for the enveloped faces was born out of this trauma. However, he later denied this, stating:.

4. Suzuki Harunobu

A Japanese couple walks through the snow under one umbrella. The umbrella itself can be interpreted as giving the scene additional intimacy. As if the viewer almost interrupts the walk of the lovers. The fact that their faces are serious, almost sad, suggests potential loss or grief. The poet Noguchi even commented on this painting as follows:

The serenity of lovers walking in the snow embodies the Japanese wabi-sabi aesthetic that values the imperfect beauty of nature. This couple personifies young love, and, like the heroes of Klimt's The Kiss, they use their desire to be alone, not attached to the outside world, proving that, regardless of origin, everyone shares a similar experience of romantic love.

5. Rembrandt

Rembrandt's Jewish Bride is a romantic painting of lovers that got its name in the early nineteenth century after an art collector claimed it was a portrait of a Jewish father giving his daughter a necklace on her wedding day. However, this was later refuted, and the most common opinion is that they are Isaac and Rebekah from the Old Testament.

The canvas depicts an expression of love between spouses, a style rare for Dutch realist painters of the Baroque era. The man gently touches the woman's shoulder with his left hand, while his right hand lies on her chest in the same way. This light physical contact indicates innocent love rather than lust. In contrast, the characters' faces hint at something deeper. A man's eyes mean uncertainty, while a woman’s gaze implies contemplation, but none of them are looking at each other. Maybe this is a hint of doubt about their future?

Like other paintings, The Jewish Bride can be interpreted as a mixture of spiritual and physical love. However, this interpretation also allows for some falsehood, since it is an inauthentic image of the Jewish bride and groom from the Bible. Instead, it is an embellished romanticized depiction of a cultural ritual that transcends the experience of a predominantly Christian society.

6. Thomas Hart Benton

Romance needs almost no explanation as to how it crosses social boundaries. This romantic painting depicts a young, well-dressed black couple walking casually on an evening stroll through the estate.

Thomas Hart Benton was an artist, muralist, and patriot known for his country-themed scenes depicting the American hinterland, namely the southern, mid-western states. Its purpose was to portray hard work, autonomy and general satisfaction for people after World War I.

Benton used his art to carry out social and political reforms. Here, subjects are portrayed as being content with their daily lives. You can feel it in their walk and in the way they hold hands.

7. Modesto Brokos

Like other romantic love stories, The Atonement of Ham can seem like a bizarre family scene. However, this is actually an example of blanqueamiento, which was common in Brazil in the nineteenth century.

The key figure is the woman by the palm tree. She has dark skin, suggestive of African descent, and her arms are raised up as if she is thanking a god. Next to her is a young woman who has lighter skin, indicating that she is a mulatto. Apparently, this girl is the daughter of a woman standing by a palm tree. The third figure is a grown man, whose skin is even lighter, which suggests that he is an immigrant and the husband of a young woman, who are the parents of a white child sitting in the girl's arms. Hence the answer to the question why the dark-skinned woman praised God - she is happy that her grandson is white.

The painting also alludes to biblical Genesis, where Ham exposes the nakedness and drunkenness of his father Noah. Ham is condemned by Noah to be a slave and cursed as "the servant of the servants." Thus, the "Atonement of Ham" is a kind of healing from the "curse" of African descent.

Interesting fact: This work sheds light on a different kind of racism. The canvas was created after the abolition of slavery in Brazil, where there was a mixed population of blacks and whites - the first to decline due to the cessation of the import of African slaves into the country. The result was mixed-race women who attracted white male immigrants. Thus, the authorities sought to produce completely white children in order to eradicate the dark skin of their ancestors.

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