The Kiss by Constantin Brancusi - Essay Example

The Kiss The Kiss by Auguste Rodin (1886) Auguste Rodin’s sculpture The Kiss (1886) made out of marble is an illustrationof passionate love and affection. The love has been demonstrated quite vividly by the marble carving of a man and a woman embracing in passion. The carving was inspired by Dante’s Inferno, a story of adulterous love affair between Paulo Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini. They developed feelings for each other after reading a romantic novel of Lancelot and Guinevere jointly.

In the sculpture Paulo is depicted holding what is believed to be the book the two read. In the romantic story, Paulo’s elder brother, who was actually Francesca’s husband, caught the two in the affair and killed them. The sculpture can be said to have adequately summarized the whole story and immortalized it as well. Francesca in a passionate embrace puts her tender arms round Paulo’s neck as she reaches out for a kiss. Paulo’s masculine arms are also seen holding Francesca’s soft hips.

Rodin creates a romantic atmosphere by emphasizing the physical attributes of the bodies as he uses lights and shadows to bring out a very vivid natural precision. The subtle display of the upper parts of the two bodies also helps in creating the romance in the sculpture. The scented lighting used in this piece of art brings out the fact that this is a discrete and private affair. Thanks to the inspiration and the characters in the sculpture, various other names have been suggested, such as Le Baiser and Francesca da Rimini.

The Kiss by Constantin Brancusi (1916) The Kiss by Constantin Brancusi curved out of limestone is a depiction of two people of opposite gender in a passionate embrace. The inspiration behind this sculpture is not so well known, but the ideals captured therein are quite vivid. It is composed of two symbolic human figures (male and female) facing each other with their both hands going round each other. The two pairs of hands go round the sculpture as the lips of the two remain in contact deep inside the sculpture.

Simple is beautiful. A closer look at these two young lovers shows them bound together in a kiss in what has been regarded as the quintessential display of love. As one of the very influential sculpture artists of the 20th century, Constantin preferred the skill of carving in stone and minimizing natural forms to almost abstract simplicity. His concentration on variations of a simple number of themes such as the heads of the two lovers, is conspicuous in this renowned couple embracing. This piece of art led to Constantin being recognized as one of the pioneers of modern art.

The two symbolic figures form an entity of unity and togetherness. There is barely any space between the two. It captures the basic ideals that are expected to be present in a relationship; it is more of values than feelings. Over the years the sculpture has been remodeled to depict the different seasons of a relationship. One of the versions done displays the two figures facing away from each other. This is believed to represent the times when the relationship is not that stable. Conclusion Rodin’s work has more to do with feelings of romance and desire while Constantin’s sculpture is a representation of a relationship.

It can also be said that Constantin’s work depicts the beautiful and acceptable part of cross-gender relationships while Rodin brings out the ugly part of it. The characters in Rodin’s sculpture seem to be simply exploring their mutual desires for each other. On the other hand, Constantin gives an image of two people who are out to go through life together and to always be there for each other. It would be worth noting that Constantin worked in Rodin’s studio for a while before venturing out to pursue his own dream.

Rodin’s keen eyes for detail seem to have rubbed off on his protege as is evident in this embrace of love and affection. Both of the sculptures do talk about love but from different angles.