The Kiss - Gustav Klimt
This painting reveals a 'double edged sword' by showing the dependable love and beauty of the goddess Venus in the form of two symbols - a dove and a single red rose. Her love is compared to the unpredictable love of her son Cupid, whose image appears on the embroidery. Cupid holds a bow and arrow, loaded and ready to shoot, but the omens look uncertain as he is blindfolded.
It is the eve of the battle at Waterloo, but the soldier's sweetheart, wearing a ball gown, restrains him and tries to push the door closed, whilst he gently but firmly pulls it open.
The Black Brunswickers were a special troop raised by Frederick William Duke of Brunswick (1771-1815) in 1809. The regiment consisted of the best German gentlemen and was known as the ‘Death or Glory’, a name derived from their distinctive death’s head hat badge and their apparent devotion to duty. The troops suffered severe losses at the battle of Quatre Bras, Waterloo in 1815. Millais used Kate, Charles Dickens daughter, as the model.
The Garden of Love - Peter Paul Rubens
This painting celebrates Rubens marriage to Helena Fourment, his second wife, who was sixteen years old when they married and Rubens was fiftythree. She was deemed 'the most beautiful women in Antwerp'. In the painting she is shown on the left being nudged along by a cupid.
The scene shows a group of people frolicking around in an idealised garden where cupids carry symbols of marital love including a pair of doves. The fountain showing Venus nursing a baby and a sculpture of the three Graces all signify fertility and nuptial happiness. The peacock symbolises the goddess Juno, protector of marriage.
A young woman looks down at fallen rose petals as her hidden suitor bends to kiss her hand. The petals symbolise the fragility of young love.
This painting was exhibited at the Royal Academy of Arts in 1856, and following the exhibition it was bought by William Morris. He narrowly beat John Ruskin to the purchase who also desired it
paintings via wiki
A lovely selection Rosemary. It’s good to se Edvard Munch's kiss after his very stark scream. Hope you have a lovely day. B x
ReplyDeleteThanks B.
DeleteHappy Valentine's Day, Rosemary. I enjoyed your Painterly Love pictures very much, some old favourites, and a few new to me. April Love is one I always enjoy, such a beautiful shade of violet, wonderfully painted.
ReplyDeleteHello Patricia - yes, I can well understand why Wm. Morris and John Ruskin both desired it so much.
DeleteI love the purple in 'April Love' When was this painted?
ReplyDeleteIt is from the 1850s.
DeleteA lot of beautiful love sights!
ReplyDeleteGlad that you enjoyed seeing them on this Valentine's Day.
DeleteThese are beautiful, and I haven't ever seen most of them. May your day be filled with love.
ReplyDeleteMay yours be too Janey.
DeleteHello Rosemary, I guess that people loved the U.S. postal service more when stamps were eight cents, although probably they were complaining about the raise from six cents! Of course Munch's painting is much earlier, but it reminds me of Jan Svankmajer's animated film Dimensions of Dialog, where the two animated heads dissolve into each other, so it was possibly an influence.
ReplyDeleteHappy Valentine's day, and Happy Chinese New Year!
--Jim
Hello Jim - I suspect that the U.S postal service has suffered a decline rather like our own postal service due to the internet and in particular people using email.
DeleteI don't know Jan Svankmajer's animated film Dimensions of Dialog - I will take a look at Google and see if there is anything there.
Happy Valentine's day and Chinese New Year to you too.
Just taken a look Jim - some of his heads remind me of paintings by Giuseppe Arcimboldo, the c16th Italian painter.
DeleteGlad you found it! All three sections are good, but the Arcimboldo section is my favorite. The Passionate Dialogue is slightly R-rated, but after all it is Valentine's day.
DeleteHis extreme short film, "Flora", also Arcimboldesque, at only 30 seconds packs quite an environmental-political message:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2quzLL4XacQ
--Jim
It's extraordinary!
DeleteDear Rosemary, What a lovely Valentine's message. Something old and something new, to me. All beautiful presentations of Love and honor.
ReplyDeleteDear Gina - glad that you enjoyed seeing the different paintings.
DeleteHappy Valentines Day Rosemary. I enjoyed seeing all the love related art work. ;-)
ReplyDeleteHope you have had a happy day Catherine - did you get ant flowers or chocolates?
DeleteChocolates I'm afraid. ;-) Might as well just put them in my back pocket. That's where they're going anyway.
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DeleteLove is definitely in the air today Rosemary. Beautiful paintings, my favorite being the romantic, gorgeous colors in Love Messenger - and of course always Klimt's KISS!
ReplyDeleteHappy St. Valentine's Day to you and your love.
Love Messenger has so much exquisite detail in it - ♡ to you too Mary.
DeleteLove -- the favourite subject of artists everywhere! Happy Valentines Day!
ReplyDeleteHappy Day Debra.
DeleteA wonderful selection of paintings! I knew it was Klimt even before scrolling down.
ReplyDeleteYou are right William - after my own little effort then Klimt's Kiss was the first to spring to mind.
DeleteA belated Happy Valentine's Day - I especially like April Love.
ReplyDeleteThat painting is proving to be the most popular one - the colours in it are lovely
DeleteLovely set there and a couple of my favourite paintings. I found myself wondering (after watching damselflies mating and forming a perfect heart shape some years ago- you can google the image and decide for yourself if it has any merit) if this wasn't the true inspiration for the human heart design.(and the origin of the fairy myth) The human heart looks nothing like this design and Medieval humans would know this perfectly well but they would see "damsel"-flies in the fields making this shape every Spring when everything else was bursting into life. Just a thought.
ReplyDeleteI have wondered where the heart shape originated from myself - what you suggest makes sense. I have seen the perfect heart shape formed by damsel-flies as they fly around our garden pond. One of the most memorable things that I ever witnessed was the final dance of the Mayflies which I saw as I stood on the bridge at Carrbridge one early June evening whilst looking at the old packhorse bridge crossing the river Dulnain.
DeleteDear Rosemary, thank you for this lovely, lovely presentation ! Some paintings were new to me - all were touching. On the Millais painting I think: maybe the hand of the young soldier at the door hints at the near departure?
ReplyDeleteDear Britta - you are right, he is anxious to depart and join his regiment - it is the eve of the Battle of Waterloo.
DeleteThank you for the varied selection of paintings to remember Valentine's Day. I love the satin dress in "The Black Brunswicker", beautifully captured in this sad but lovely painting.
ReplyDeleteThe satin dress is amazing - I agree with you.
DeleteAlthough Valentine's Day is now past, these paintings are lovely representations of love. Klimt's Kiss has always been a favourite of mine. I hope you have had a good week.
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