© Sucesión Picasso, VEGAP, Madrid, 2023
The year before creating this piece, Picasso produced a series of works, which he called "347", in the Crommelynck studio (Mougins, France). They represent an erotic explosion in his art that explored encounters and depictions of passionate love affairs. The paintings were exhibited at the end of 1968 at the Louis Leiris gallery in Paris. Picasso continued to develop pieces following the theme of love and passion to complete the series, which shortly afterwards, in 1970, was exhibited at the Palais des Papes in Avignon. Among these 165 works, The Kiss occupies a special place.
In The Kiss (Le Baiser) of 1969, the passionate way in which Picasso had approached the same subject matter since 1925 resounds, in this case with the characters in an almost violent foreground.
The use of creamy white, crossed by intertwining black lines, creates a sense of entanglement and in turn gives this kiss a strong sexual connotation. But the dark, dense eyes of both figures are striking, very characteristic of Picasso, but in this case they present an absent gaze that does not cross between the protagonists. The intertwined lines of the figures seem to represent the moment before their dissolution: the man seems to tower over the woman moments before they separate, or merge.
Picasso succeeds in conveying the complexity of human emotions through a bold style using the brushstroke to evoke the lovers' passion and intimate connection, although the empty gazes and tension between the bodies hint at a hidden history of ambiguity.
Sources:
Musée Picasso París: https://www.museepicassoparis.fr/fr/le-baiser-1969
Museu Picasso Barcelona: https://museupicassobcn.cat/es/picasso-y-barcelona/ la-relacion-de-picasso-con-sabartes