The kiss of the hand 1877

Curator: Gerolamo Induno painted this intriguing scene, titled "The Kiss of the Hand," in 1877, utilizing oil paints to depict what appears to be a very Baroque moment of aristocratic life. Editor: It strikes me immediately as quite stagey. There's a distinct compositional separation; figures on the left, carriage on the right, with the central pair acting out... well, a little drama, framed almost as if for the theater. Curator: Absolutely. The gesture of the kiss itself—it's loaded with historical significance. Think of the formal rituals surrounding displays of power and deference in centuries past. This simple act transmits volumes about social hierarchy. In this specific era in Italy, you have the old nobility dealing with a rising merchant class; the act may represent social maneuverings. Editor: And what about the colors themselves? That rather flamboyant pink floral gown against the deeper reds and golds of the carriage interior. Semiotically, are those contrasting hues intended to suggest something about status? About individual versus the institution? Curator: Very perceptive! The attire of the figures, including her elaborate dress, are indicators of her role within society, even the white powdered wigs symbolize status. There is an echo of courtly love tradition as well in his humble gesture. But look more closely. The carriage with the driver seated high above further suggests a pyramidal power dynamic at play between all involved. Editor: Indeed, the entire architectural backdrop serves to reinforce that feeling of imposed structure. The heavy columns, that glimpse of what appears to be an ancient arch... it all constructs a sense of history and formality. I am taken by that contrast, between the hard lines of the backdrop and the softer focus used on the primary subjects. Curator: Notice the figures placed on the other side of the scene near the columns are dark, almost ghostly shapes. Editor: And that single spot of light in the architecture almost makes it dreamlike in composition and tonality, as well as dramatic. It is romantic in its own way, even while appearing very staged, in the sense of play acting for an audience. Curator: Perhaps. The lingering echoes of Baroque theatrics seem so out of step with the changing tides of late 19th-century Italy. I think that the "kiss of the hand" here becomes a cultural memory captured in paint. Editor: And from a purely aesthetic viewpoint, that interplay of color and rigid architecture creates an undeniable visual tension.