Der Kuss (The Kiss)

A founding member of the Munich Secession, Behrens was an active printmaker as well as a designer of applied arts and architectural decoration. Determined to break away from styles supported by established artistic institutions in Europe, such as Naturalism and Impressionism, the Secessionists campaigned for an eclectic synthesis of styles toward a modernist aesthetic. In this print, Behrens conveys the emotional intensity of a couple’s kiss through the depiction of their intertwining strands of hair, giving form to the energy generated between the two figures.