In an art exhibition of 1908, there was a special painting on display in a room reserved for Gustav Klimt's pictures. This specific work is entitled, "Lovers" but is generally known today as "The Kiss." Ludwig Hevesi, a critic of the time said, "This Klimt exhibition is the most remarkable assortment seen in Vienna since Markart's Dumba Room." A purely painterly painting (The Kiss), is a phenomenon of color. The lovers stand in a sea of flowers, like Homer's old Zeus on Mount Ida when Hera embraced him and a carpet of flowers broke forth from the earth. The lovers wear festive robes, just right for a festival of love. The whole world is festive again, and there is a special Viennese modulation of feeling, newly arrived.
             Art critic, Hevesi, compared Klimt to the great painter, Makart - with Klimt, Vienna had a new prince of painters. "The Kiss" was not scandalous in content, as were so many of Klimt's previous paintings. On the contrary, the piece was received with enthusiasm, and it quickly found a buyer. It remains one of Klimt's most famous works and has become a symbol of the Vienna Jugendstil.
             In 1895, twelve years prior to the creation of "The Kiss," Klimt had painted a picture he entitled "Love." In that painting, a pair of lovers are shown in profile, the man holding the woman in his arms and bending his head towards hers. The light falls on the face of the woman, her eyes are closed, her head is tilted back and she looks ready to be kissed. The man's face is in shadow so his expression is unclear; he is the strong, active, dominating partner and the woman is obviously devoted, submissive, and expectant. The heads hovering above the lovers point not only to the different ages of man (childhood, youth, old age) but also to the threat of death.
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