Love and Friendship in the History of Art
The search for symbolic truth
No list of brilliant artworks on love and friendship would be complete without the deeply erotic portraits of late 19th-century Austrian painter Gustav Klimt. Influenced by Art Nouveau and the Symbolist movement, Klimt’s painting The Kiss, among many others from his Golden Period, embodies his search for meaning and sincere symbolic truth. However, early 20th century Vienna didn’t quite see it this way. Post-Victorian society derided his paintings as “pornographic” and even sacrilegious. Furthermore, his use of Byzantine iconography and ecclesiastic materials, such as gold leaf, was considered scandalous. In conclusion, themes of deep intimacy, love, and friendship in art often create a scandal.
https://www.gustav-klimt.com/The-Kiss.jsp
Romanticism with a passioned theme
Next on our hotlist of love and friendship in the history of art is Victorian painter Henrietta Rae. In the spirit of Romanticism, the nude was the centerfold in her paintings. Furthermore, Rae’s allegorical paintings are often imbued with sensual, passionate themes from classical literature. Her piece Hylas and the Water Nymphs is a prime example of Romanticism. Although Rue’s large-scale oil paintings are testimonials to the power of the flesh, her painting Hylas and the Water Nymphs is under scrutiny and threat of removal from public view by the anti-sexual harassment campaign #MeToo.
Controversy and censorship
For our grand finale, the top piece on our controversial list of love and friendship in the history of art is the radical painting Origin of the World by 19th-century French Realist painter Gustave Courbet. This brave painting is still causing a fuss today! In fact, in 1994, French police withdrew a novel with a reproduction of this painting on its cover. Furthermore, in 2011, Facebook officially censured Courbet’s The Origin of the World. To circumvent any potential problems, we have chosen to censor this intimate, close-up painting in our article. But feel free, discretionary reader, to google Courbet’s most famous painting.
Themes of love and friendship in art continue to inspire us. In the spirit of this Valentine’s Day, let’s celebrate this long history of passionate expression.
Let yourself fall in love with the curated collection of delightful works available now for sale, and enjoy our Saint Valentine’s sale on selected artworks.
Asdrubal Medina
Vist Gallery