The Kiss (Le Baiser) c. 1880 - 1902

Curator: Here we have "The Kiss," rendered in bronze, created by Auguste Rodin, estimated to have been worked on between 1880 and 1902. Editor: The patina just pulls you in, doesn’t it? A swirling dance of darkness and gold highlights on these forms, it’s just visceral, almost like you can feel the heat rising off of their embrace. Curator: Indeed, the labor is evident when considering the piece's history. It began as part of "The Gates of Hell," a massive commission inspired by Dante's Inferno, but Rodin extracted it due to its thematic divergence. It highlights his capacity to see marketable pieces amongst the larger, structural endeavor. Editor: Marketing… Maybe, but I like to think he was just utterly seduced by this raw eruption of passion. They seem almost trapped inside the rough, unformed base, consumed entirely by each other. Did their story ever truly become "finished," I wonder, and did Rodin capture the truth? Curator: Some argue this "truth" reflects an objectification inherent in the artistic process, further exacerbated by the commodification of love within a capitalist society. It began as one thing and its market appeal led it away from that initial concept. Editor: Ah, you’re seeing the specter of industry there! I see the artist wrestling with marble – then bronze – trying to catch a glimpse of something untamed and elemental. Love in the raw… Curator: Perhaps. I am always considering how the conditions of artistic production shaped Rodin's intentions, and then how our perception continues to change. Editor: Well, personally, it still makes me catch my breath. It reminds me that there is always magic to discover. Curator: An adequate enough endorsement as any, really, to mark this as a work that persists.