The Kiss, marble, 1888-1889, Musée Rodin collection
The Kiss - Detail of the head, marble, 1888-1889, Musée Rodin collection
The Kiss - Detail of the hands, marble, 1888-1889, Musée Rodin collection

Text and photos by Chen Chi-Hsiang. This passionate and unrestrained work, like The Thinker, is one of Rodin’s most symbolic masterpieces. It was forged from The Gates of Hell, deeply depicting the lovers Paolo and Francesca embracing in a kiss. This small sculpture by Rodin received high honors when exhibited at the 1827 Salon, where art critics named it The Kiss. The French government also commissioned Rodin to create an enlarged marble version for display at the 1889 Paris Exposition Universelle, but this piece was not completed until ten years later.