The Kiss (1859) by Francesco Hayez

Francesco Hayez (1791–1882), Italian, A leading figure of Romanticism in 19th-century Italy, this painter’s work bridged neoclassical precision and the emotional intensity of the Romantic movement. Best known for *The Kiss* (1859), a masterpiece of tender passion and political symbolism, his art often wove together intimacy and nationalistic fervor—subtle nods to Italy’s Risorgimento hidden beneath velvety brushstrokes. Historical and literary themes dominated his oeuvre, from medieval troubadours to Shakespearean tragedies, rendered with a theatricality that bordered on cinematic.
His portraits, though less celebrated than his narrative works, reveal a psychological depth rivaling Ingres, with subjects caught in moments of quiet introspection or dramatic revelation. The interplay of light and fabric in pieces like *Meditation on the History of Italy* (1851) transforms allegory into something visceral, almost tactile. Critics sometimes dismissed his later works as overly sentimental, yet their influence lingered—echoing in the Symbolists and even early Futurists who rejected his nostalgia but borrowed his compositional daring.
Living through Italy’s unification, Hayez’s career mirrored the era’s contradictions: lavish commissions for aristocrats alongside covert support for revolutionary ideals. By the time of his death, his style had fallen out of fashion, eclipsed by realism. But the emotional charge of his best paintings—those stolen glances, clenched hands—ensured his legacy as a storyteller who made history feel human.