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The kiss
(Der Kuss)
(1902)
Medium
colour woodcut
Measurements
46.9 × 47.0 cm (block) 60.4 × 59.1 cm (sheet)
Credit Line
National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne
Felton Bequest, 1948
Gallery location
Not on display
About this work
Edvard Munch began making woodcuts in Paris in 1896, excited by the expressive possibilities of the medium. He used strongly grained blocks to add texture and power to his images and pioneered the so-called ‘jigsaw method’ of cutting a single block into individual parts to simplify printing in colour. In The kiss the abstracted form of the embracing couple is cut from one block, while the background is made from an uncut second block with a pronounced woodgrain. The fusion of the two figures into a single form is a powerful symbol of the intimate union of lovers.
Artwork Details
Inscription
inscribed in pencil l.r.: E Munch
Accession Number
1851-4
Departments
International Prints / International Prints and Drawings
This digital record has been made available on NGV Collection Online through the generous support of the Joe White Bequest