The Art of Kissing by Women Artists

Love has fascinated artists since the beginning of time, with painters, sculpturers and photographers exploring the art of kissing in many different forms and mediums.

Beyond the famous depictions of this act of intimacy by male artists, like The Kiss by Gustav Klimt (1907-1908), The Lovers by René Magritte (1928) or The Kiss by Auguste Rodin (1882), the history of art tends to forget about the representation of love from a female perspective.

Here are 5 artworks by women artists that reveal the kiss as different kinds of love.

1. “The Kiss of Peace” – Julia Margaret Cameron (1869)

The Kiss of Peace captures an intimate moment between two young women – perhaps mother and daughter, sisters or friends. This dreamlike photograph by Julia Margaret Cameron, whose use of soft-focus was groundbreaking for 19^th-century photography, depicts the kiss as an act of forgiveness or reconciliation, other expression of love. The use of light and blur enhances the ethereal, emotional depth of this moment of tenderness immortalised by the artist.

2. “Mother and Child” – Tamara de Lempicka (ca. 1922)

The tender embrace of a mother kissing her baby takes centre stage in this painting by Tamara de Lempicka. Showcasing a blend of Cubist influences and soft and sculptural forms, the 20th-century artist celebrates the purest form of love: mother’s love. This painting presents a modern, secular interpretation of motherhood, emphasizing elegance and contemporary femininity. “Mother and Child” embodies Lempicka’s signature glossy, stylised approach, merging modern life with classical beauty.

3. “The Kiss” – Marlene Dumas (2003)

Love and pain are inextricably linked. And the depiction of a kiss in this artwork by Marlene Dumas could be interpreted as both. The image shows the profile of a person facing down, with their lips touching a surface at the bottom. Their eyes are closed. Their lips and nose slightly pressed. The surface at the bottom is not clear. It could be the body of another person, a plain inanimate object or even the back of the arm of the person in the image, who is kissing their own body. The emotion is ambiguous, portraying as much passion and devotion as pain or pressure, as remarked by the artist herself: “No painting can exist […] without the pleasure of what it could mean and the pain of what it’s not.” The image leaves a strong remark and as sense of uncertainty about the concept of love.

4. “Elizabeth What Wondrous Things…” – Elizabeth Pyton (2012-2013)

Passion, fascination, intimacy. All these are common aspects in the work of Elizabeth Peyton, who focuses her paintings primarily on the feelings. The strong, simple brushstrokes, and black and white colour palette set the scene with as much tenderness as dynamism. “A record of two people being in one room together at one time.” The two protagonists share a moment as deeply personal as evocative of a universal experience. A quick everyday kiss, a cautious first kiss, a goodbye kiss, a shy kiss, a passionate kiss. The interpretation is open to seduce the viewer. 

5. “Kiss” – Elinor Carucci (2017)

Dramatic lighting and a careful composition define this close-up of a kiss by Elinor Carucci. With his mouth partially open, a man approaches the lips of a woman. Her lips remain close. Her expression unclear. Are they both about to abandon themselves to a passionate kiss? Will she refuse his intentions to kiss her? Will she give in and embrace his intentions? A depiction of an “almost kiss”, which can be read as much as a manifesto of love and passion, as a gesture of refusal.