continuing on with my rabid obsession with Rodin.
I found an excellent article here and I have quoted my favorite part below
[The intertwined figures ensure that this piece is aesthetically pleasing from all angles. Rodin noted that he chose to keep the figures nude so that nothing could interfere with the raw emotion that he wanted the viewer to feel immediately.
As with many of Rodin’s sculptures The Kiss is designed to be viewed from every angle and Rodin wanted the piece to be believable and real. The artist certainly creates this and by making a sculpture which is visually stimulating from 360 degrees, his dedication and skill is obvious. The contrast between the smooth skin of the lovers and the rough marble of the rock they are sitting on adds further sensual elements to this piece.
The passion and romance of The Kiss is undeniable; the figures are so involved in one another that their faces are barely visible. The embrace with which they hold each other makes the tragedy of their love even greater and Rodin draws on themes which all audiences can appreciate in a way which is both romantic and sensual. Although both figures are nude, Rodin’s skill as an artist ensured that the way the figures were rendered was not overtly sexual.]
The text I bolded explain precisely why this sculpture is effecting. I saw it for the first time on some sort of TVO documentary and it struck me as the most realistically rendered “romantic” sculpture I’d ever seen. I was only in freshman in high school and had no idea it was based on Dante‘s Inferno. In a way, I’m almost sad it depicts a scene that ends so bloodily. I wanted to preserve the innocence, at least in my head.
For your viewing pleasure (ha! sorry, I am defenceless against puns), here are several different perspectives of The Kiss:
Glorious, isn’t it?
3woodlandcreatures 
