Celebrating Kiss Day through arts, music and cinema.
On April 13th Spain celebrates the Kiss Day. As the craftsmanship of DAOTEY bags and backpacks is rooted in Spain, we want to celebrate this day so as to share our love with the community and remind each other of the importance of expressing emotions. In times when spreading love and peace throughout the world has become significantly important, DAOTEY has put together a list of kisses and kissing moments which left a footprint in history, arts, literature, music or cinema.
V - J Day in Times Square, August 14, 1945.
Celebration of the end of the Second World War.
Throughout centuries, artists, sculptors, photographers, musicians, authors and filmmakers drew the attention of the audience to the power of love through the act of kissing. For example one of the most famous kisses in history is considered to be on the Victory over Japan Day (V-J Day) in Times Square, NY. Photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt captured a navy sailor embracing and kissing a total stranger - a nurse. Following our previous article about artists and creatives in Ukraine, DAOTEY now shares thematic Kiss Day literature, art, music and film. Whether you are in Spain or not, celebrating Kiss Day today is another opportunity to share love with people around you and kiss your close ones to show your appreciation for them being next to you. In any case you have time to get prepared and bookmark this article because on 6th of July the world is celebrating the International Kissing Day.
Greatest kisses in…
ART
René Magritte, The Lovers, 1928, Museum of Modern Art, New York, USA
‘The Lovers’ 1928, by René Magritte, is one of the most mysterious artworks of all time. The couple is passionately kissing, however, their faces are fully hidden from each other in a cloth. Some have interpreted this as inability to fully express true emotions in a relationship, as people are often driven by illusions of passion rather than true love. Others say the opposite: there are no barriers for true feeling and that the lovers are blindly in love. Magritte said: “My painting is visible images which conceal nothing….it does not mean anything, because mystery means nothing either, it is unknowable.” At DAOTEY, we definitely want to visit MoMA and make our interpretation of the masterpiece.
Visit the MoMA museum here.
CINEMA
The Notebook (2004) is a perfect film to watch with friends, family or loved ones on Wednesday night of the Kiss Day. The story of love of a young couple is read from a diary by an elderly man, sharing how a young and passionate man falls in love with a rich young lady that are soon separated due to status differences. Definitely one of the DAOTEY’s go-to romantic movies.
Watch the trailer here.
LITERATURE
A great book “Gone with the Wind” by Margaret Mitchell is the book to start reading on Kiss Day. A romantic story takes place in the US, in the times of the American Civil War. Scarlett O’Hara, the beautiful and spoiled daughter of a plantation owner, has a change of heart after a series of unsuccessful relationships. After reading any book, we love seeing a film to make comparisons between how we imagined the characters in the book and how the film director envisioned them in front of the camera. Therefore, once you finish reading the novel, go ahead and enjoy the classic film “Gone with the Wind” (1939).
MUSIC
“All My Loving” is the song written by one of the greatest rock bands of all time - The Beatles. The lyrics of the song speak by itself: “I’ll pretend that I’m kissing/The lips I am missing/And hope that my dreams will come true.” Some rock, blues and jazz is the perfect combination to dance your evening on Kiss Day away. If you are a musician or a singer, “All My Loving” might be the new song you will want to practice.
Listen to the song here.
SCULPTURE
Auguste Rodin 1840–1917, Le Baiser (The Kiss), Pentelican marble, Musée Rodin, Paris, France
If you happen to visit Paris on Kiss Day, plan a day and attend Musée Rodin to appreciate Auguste Rodin’s, Le Baiser (The Kiss), 1840–1917 sculpture. Originally, the sculpture portrayed Paolo Malatesta and Francesca da Rimini from Dante’s Divine Comedy. The couple is embracing each other in a passionate kiss. Even the photograph of The Kiss translates to the reader the strong feelings of love. Imagine what the atmosphere is like in the museum!
Find out more about sculptors in our recent post here.
Visit Musée Rodin here.
Kissing expresses sentiments of powerful feelings such as love, passion or appreciation. We hope to inspire you to celebrate this day and appreciate the love we have for one another.
Read more articles by DAOTEY here.