The painting shows a couple embracing each other with gold leaf on canvas. The man is kissing the woman, who has green hair. Klimt has said he had obsession for the woman with redheads, and it was reflected in the woman in his painting.
The man and woman are on a flowery grassland. According to the psychoanalytical and biological distinction, Klimt expressed them in different ways. The man wearing a robe with black, white and gray rectangles is described in a rough way, while the woman is expressed with the smooth figures such as a circle, a curve, and flowery patterns. Her hair is also combined with flowers; it looks like she is surrounded with flowers. On the contrary, the part outside the couple in the painting is filled with flat patterning which has small gleaming dots.
"The Kiss" represents fin-de-siècle spirit because it shows a decadence through opulent and sybaritic images. Also, the painting has some styles recalling the arts of other period. Of them, by using gold leaf, the painting reflects medieval "gold-ground" paintings and earlier mosaics, and the spiral patterns in the clothes recall Bronze Age art.
In the Kiss, Klimt portrays woman as the femme fatale who is a beautiful woman attracting men sexually but brings them unhappiness. It is said that the woman modeled for the painting, however, his life companion Emilie Flöge,who participated as the Viennese bohemian (Bohemianism) and fin-de-siecle circles like Klimt.
The painting is 72 inches high and 72 inches wide (180 cm x 180 cm). It is decorated with gold leaf. At the time, people thought the panting was too sexy, even though both people are wearing clothes.
The city of Vienna bought the painting from Klimt before he finished it. It cost 25,000 crowns.
Klimt was a Symbolist artist and this painting was part of his Golden Period. Klimt went to the Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna, where he saw Byzantine art, which also uses gold. Also, his father and brother were metalworkers. This is another reason why he liked to use gold leaf in paintings like "The Kiss". Japanese prints also affected the way Klimt made the painting.
In 2003, Austria struck a coin with "The Kiss" on one side and Klimt's face on the other.
As of the 21st century, the painting is in the Belvedere Gallery. Hundreds of thousands of people visit it each year.
Asbestosis
Asbestosis is a disease of the lungs caused by inhaling fibers of asbestos. It is not to be confused with mesothelioma, a cancer of the lungs which is also caused by inhaling asbestos fibers. Asbestosis has been the subject of many lawsuits, and many lawyers specialize in asbestosis and mesothelioma.
Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a cancer of the "mesothelial" tissue, a membrane that surrounds several cavities inside of the human body, including the lungs. Although mesothelioma has many possible causes, most cases can be traced to asbestos exposure.
Mesothelioma is a deadly form of cancer. Most patients are diagnosed in their 60s and die at around age 70. It is different from asbestosis, another disease caused by asbestos. Mesothelioma has been the subject of many lawsuits.
Annie Raines
Annie Raines (born 3 July 1969 near Boston, Massachusetts) is an American harp player, piano player and singer.
Raines took up the harmonica at the age of 17. She left Antioch College to make a musical career. She was fascinated by the sound of Muddy Waters, Little Walter Jacobs, and Sonny Boy Williamson. She was influenced by this blues master. She began to play on the streets and at local Boston clubs. She went to Chicago where she met and played with Pinetop Perkins and James Cotton. She played in Chicagos blues clubs. During this time she developed a style of her own.
She teamed with guitarist Paul Rishell who introduced her to the country blues tradition.
Carey Bell
Carey Bell (*14 November 1936 in Macon, Mississippi - † 6 May 2007 in Chicago, Illinois) was an American blues musician. He played the harmonica and bass in the Chicago blues style.
He was born Carey Bell Harrington. As child he liked the music of Louis Jordan. He wanted to play saxophon. The family was to poor to buy one. So he started to play the harmonica. The harmonica is also known as "Mississippi saxophon. He tought himself to play the instrument. Soon Bell heard the music by the blues harmonica greats: DeFord Bailey, Big Walter Horton, Little Walter and Sonny Boy Williamson I and II. At the age of 13 he joined of his pianist godfather with Lovie Lee's blues band.
In September 1956 he went to Chicago where he met Little Walter and his main mentor Big Walter Horton. The tought him some harp playing. To improve the possibility to find a job as musician he learned to play the electric bass. He played bass in several bands . In the late 1960s, he appeared regularly on the west side of Chicago with guitarists Eddie Taylor and Royal Johnson, playing both harmonica and bass. In 1969 Delmark Records released Bells first album "Carey Bell's Blues Harp". In the late 1970s and 1971 Bell played with Muddy Waters. Later he played for Willie Dixon´s Chicago Blues All-Stars. In 1972 he recorded with Big Walter Horton "Big Walter Horton with Carey Bell" for Alligator Records.
During the 1980s Bell continued to record for various labels and to tour. In 1990 Bell recorded with harpists Junior Wells, James Cotton and Billy Branch "Harp Attack"!.. Harp Attack is still one of Alligator Records best selling albums. Although he worked a lot for Alligator his first solo album was "Deep Down" not till 1995. In 1998 he received the Blues Music Award for Traditional Male Artist Of The Year. Second Nature followed in 2004 an album he recorded with his guitarist son Lurrie Bell.
Carey Bell died of heart failure on May 6, 2007, in Chicago, Illinois.
Babi
In Egyptian mythology, Babi, also Baba, was god in the form of a baboon. His name is translated as "Bull of the baboons". This basically means "Alpha male of all baboons" or the chief of the baboons. Because Baboons have many human characteristics, it was believed that they were dead ancestors.
Because baboons were thought to be the dead, Babi was felt to be an underworld deity.
Khepri
Khepri is a god in Egyptian mythology. He is a sun god who is often believed to be the third form of Ra, because of this he has a connection to rebirth. Khepri is the god of scarabs and Dung beetles. Looking at the actions of dung beetles pushing around small balls of dung, it was believed that Khepri was the god who pushed the sun in its orbit.
Appendage
An appendage is a part of animals attached the main body. Many arthropods have appendages on each, or most, of their segments. Millipedes, for example, have many segments, and almost all carry two legs. Insects have exactly six legs, two on each segment of the thorax. Antennae (feelers) attached to their heads are another type of appendage.
Wings, parts of the tail, legs, some mouthparts, external sex organs can all be described as appendages.
Appendages may be uniramous, as in insects and centipedes, where each appendage comprises a single series of segments, or it may be biramous, as in many crustaceans, where each appendage branches into two sections.
All arthropod appendages are variations of the same basic structure (homologous). Which structure is produced is controlled by homeobox genes. Changes to these genes have allowed scientists to produce animals (such as "Drosophila melanogaster") with modified appendages, such as legs instead of antennae.
Ministry of Defence (UK)
The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence is a Britsh government department headed by the Secretary of State for Defence in the Cabinet. It controls the administration of the British Armed Forces.