Kiss (picture of Ayets)

“Kiss” ( Italian: Il bacio ) - a painting by Italian artist Francesco Ajec , written in 1859 in the style of Italian romanticism .

Francesco Hayets

A kiss . 1859

Il bacio

Canvas, oil. 112 × 88 cm

Brera , Milan

( inv. )

Iyets also painted three copies of this painting, two of which are kept in private collections, and the third, where a woman is dressed in a white dress, was painted in 1861 for the Mylius family and sold at Sotheby’s auction in London on November 12, 2008 for 780 450 pounds .

Hayets considered Kiss to be one of his most important works. In it, he tried to combine the properties of Italian romanticism, such as naturalism and close attention to sensual love, with the ideal of Risorgimento - patriotism . The kissing couple is an allusion to Romeo and Juliet Shakespeare , as well as to Renzo and Lucia from Alessandro Manzoni ’s novel “The Betrothed ”. In addition, in the characters of the picture, Hayets sought to show the nascent Italian nation. So he combines in one story personal love with love for the homeland.

Heroes' clothing and architecture indicate that the scene takes place in the Middle Ages , however, a completely new iconography of the picture and its patriotic message convince the viewer of its modernity. The colors used by the artist hint at the Plombiere agreement between Italy and France, which marked the birth of the Italian nation.

The painting was first presented to the public at an exhibition at the Brera Academy in September 1859, three months after the arrival in Milan of Victor Emmanuel II and Napoleon III - the commanders of the Franco-Sardinian army, who had recently defeated the Austrian troops at the Battle of Solferino .