The Kiss

Famous for revitalising the popularity of printmaking in the 19^th Century French art scene, Bracquemond has used the traditional method of etching for this mother and child portrait. In the piece, a child flings their arms around their seated mother and gives here ‘the kiss’ of the title. The living room in which they sit is decorated with fashionable ornaments and pieces of furniture. The etching demonstrates the family’s affluence and modern tastes by fitting many different expensive objects into the background (such as a painting and an ornately carved mirror and fire surround). The oriental design of the fan placed on the mantel piece, and of the pouffe behind the chair are typical of the Japonisme which was hugely popular in Western Europe at this time.  New opportunities for wealthy Westerners to visit the East, combined with the opening up of the Japanese border and the subsequent mass import of goods led to a massive influence in the decorative arts and Bracquemond himself used oriental designs in his pottery.