The Kiss

Artist?

Brancusi

Date?

1916

Material?

Limestone

Located?

The Philadelphia Museum of Art

Which version?

4

Dimensions?

54 × 34 × 25cm

What aspect of Modernism does this demonstrate?

The Spiritual Optimistic aspect

What process of carving does he use? What effect did it create for him?

Direct carving - it was more honest

Composition?

• 2 figures compacted in a cube.

• Figures embrace - unit

• Symmetrical, central axis created by edges of figures’ faces.

Space?

• Closed & clear frontal axis.

• Cube exerts strong physical presence

• Shallow carving - no protrusions or extended limbs.

Scale?

• Small - rejects monumental & the heroic.

• Elongated arms - wrapping around bodies to hold & clasp them.

• Small facial features.

Line?

• Geometric but softened with curves of arms.

• Strong/bold horizontals/verticals = unity & gravitas e.g. vertical running down sides of bodies in profile as they touch.

Form?

• Direct carving - block still present & directs semi-abstract forms of bodies.

• Deep carvings = softer forms of rounded arms.

• Cuboid form = simple & elemental

• Stylised hand w crude shapes.

Light & Tone?

• Soft shadows cast by deeper carved forms.

• Contrast light & dark in hair - shadows created by grooves in carved hair.

• Non-reflective = organic

Colour?

Natural & primitive

Pattern, texture & ornamentation?

• Free of ornament = Modern

• Waves of hair create decoration

• Rugged texture of carving waves of hair = primitive.

3 key concepts of The Kiss?

1. Direct Carving Method

2. Truth to Materials

3. Primitivism

Brancusi’s background? How did he reach Paris?

• Romanian & originated from peasant family.

• Arrived in Paris after walking in 1904.

Who did he train with in Paris?

Rodin

How did he differ from Rodin?

He was interested in the whole as opposed to the fragment

Who inspired his Primitivism?

Saw the Gauguin retrospective at the 1906 Salon d'Automne

What friendship put him in a good position within the art world?

• The Italian, Modigliani.

• Placed him at centre of Avant-garde art world in Paris.

What issues did Brancusi & Modigliani face in Paris?

• They were not French

• Many members of the Ecole de Paris saw them as secondary in their contribution to Modernism.

• Especially compared to Picasso & Matisse.

What element of Modernism did he contribute to? What inspired him?

• The spiritual element

• Read the mystical treaties of 11th century Tibetan Monk, Milarepa.

How did the mystical treaties inspire him?

• Inspired his concern with simplicity

• Made repeats of the same sculpture to reduce the theme to its most pure & spiritual essence.

How many version of The Kiss was there?

7

How was Brancusi’s Primitivism contradictory?

• He rejected the points system & use of machinery to create sculpture - favoured Direct Carving.

• But, his primitivism was dependent on the machine aesthetic.

Example of his primitivism relying on machine aesthetic?

Male Torso (1917) (brass)

What other art form was crucial to his work?

Photography

Which photographer did he meet?

1921: Met Man Ray & installed a darkroom in his studio.

Due to this inspiration, how many prints & negatives were made?

• 1250 prints & 560 original negatives made from his work.

• Now housed in Pompidou Centre.

Why could he empathise with African tribes and indigenous peoples?

He knew what it was like to be different and to experience a close relationship with nature.

How was his primitivism originally inspired?

• Growing up as a peasant in Eastern Europe

• Would’ve worked extensively with tools & raw materials.

• Primitivism = much different from Picasso

Why did Brancusi favour Direct Carving?

Liberated sculpture from traditional academic constraints = more honest

What education did Brancusi receive?

• Attended the newly founded Academy in Bucharest.

• Prior, he hadn’t received any traditional academic training in sculpture - led to experimental approach.

Who did Brancusi share an interest with, who he had inspired?

• 1932: Barbara Hepworth (British) & her partner Ben Nicholson (painter) visited Brancusi in Paris.

• She showed him her sculptures - shared an interest in the spiritual power of ovoid’s.

How did Brancusi challenge/reject academic tradition?

• He challenged the concept of the heroic classical sculpture - elevated on a tall plinth.

• He argued The Kiss should be displayed simply on its own base.

Where was The Kiss shown?

• Joined the collection of Walter & Louise Arensberg in 1932.

• It was set on top of a truncated beam.

How did Brancusi change this presentation later?

1940s: He raised it to a low bench & flanked it with 6 carved pre-Columbian sculptures.