GÉRICAULT, Théodore
(b. 1791, Rouen, d. 1824, Paris)

The Kiss

c. 1822
Sepia wash and charcoal on paper, 203 x 368 mm
Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid

Alongside his naturalistic subject matter, Géricault was particularly drawn to two other genres: the horse and the nude. This nude study is a masterful composition which combines classicism, monumentality and realism. The theme of the kiss provides the artist with a chance to depict a pair of figures with great sensuality and is also a study of anatomy and the fall of light.