Director's Note: The Beauty of Love in the Everyday World

Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss

February has arrived and Valentine’s Day will soon be upon us. It is a time when our thoughts turn to love, and where can we find more beautiful expressions of love than in the arts? This powerful emotion has inspired numerous artists to create works that have withstood the test of time and continue to evoke feelings of passion and sensuality. 

According to an article from XXY Magazine.com, entitled With Love: Portrayed Through the Eyes of Art, From Renaissance to Koons, “Through the history of art there are countless examples of works which have been inspired by love in all its forms…” The article cites the last verse of The Divine Comedy by Dante, “The love that moves the sun and the other stars,” a line that solidifies the idea that love is powerful and can do anything.

Gustav Klimt’s The Kiss

The article notes that a central theme for artists dealing with love is the embrace. Two works that come to my mind are both entitled The Kiss. Austrian painter Gustav Klimt’s iconic image of a couple embraced in a kiss, explores sensuality, while at the same time covering it beneath a beautiful cloak. A more openly sensual portrayal of love is French sculpture Auguste Rodin’s The Kiss, in which the passion and romance between lovers are undeniable. The piece can be viewed at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond through March 13 as part of the exhibition, Rodin: The Evolution of a Genius.

While there are a multitude of visual works of art portraying love, the written word is laden with romantic passages proclaiming one’s love and passion. Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet comes to mind with such lines as:


“My bounty is as boundless as the sea,

My love as deep; the more I give to thee,

The more I have, for both are infinite.”


And, of course, we all have a love song that evokes certain emotions when we hear it, taking us back to another time and place. Finally, I would note that in these modern times, as we “curate” our own lives through selfies, social media, digital diaries and youtube videos, “ordinary” humans are expressing love in artistic ways. Perhaps it is a photo of a newborn baby, a new love just beginning in the form of an online wedding album, poignantly remembering a love that is no longer with us, or just portraying those everyday things that we do to show love. Pop culture writer Chuck Klosterman wrote: “Art and love are the same thing: It’s the process of seeing yourself in things that are not you.”

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone! I hope you find the beauty of love in the world around you and perhaps in a painting, photograph, sonnet or a song…art truly does matter! Take time to visit Piedmont Arts’ latest exhibit, Fortune, Courage, Love: Arts of Africa’s Akan and Kuba Kingdoms on loan from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts which will be in the galleries through March 5. It’s always admission free!

Director's Note is a monthly blog by Piedmont Arts Executive Director Kathy Rogers, examining the impact of the arts in our community. 

Contact Kathy at kathyrogers@piedmontarts.org.