Francesco Hayez, The Kiss (canvas)

Description

The scene is set in a vague medieval interior. It is the entrance hall of a castle, of which three steps are highlighted, to the right of the canvas, and the extensive stone wall; the surface of the latter homogeneously occupies almost the entire background of the painting, and in fact is interrupted only by a Gothic pointed arch opening, introduced by a thin column, and by a mullioned window that stands out at the top right, barely hinted at as it is cut from the upper edge of the painting. Well, in this medieval setting a passionate and sensual kiss between two young lovers is taking place, in an atmosphere of romantic suspension. The man has an active role in the intercourse, firmly holding the head and face of his beloved in his hands; on the contrary, the latter languidly indulges in effusions, limiting herself to squeezing her beloved's shoulders with her left arm. Enraptured in an ecstasy of love, the two bodies passionately interpenetrate, with the man's torso indulging the supple body of his partner, arched in the face of such an overwhelming passion.