Professor Im Joo Rhyu, director of the Korea University Graduate Program for Convergence & Translational Biomedicine and faculty member in the Department of Anatomy, recently led a study investigating the medical and artistic significance of the red, blood cell-like forms in Gustav Klimt's The Kiss. Collaborating with Professors Hyunmi Park, Dae Hyun Kim, and Hwamin Lee from Korea University College of Medicine (KUCM) and Sungkyunkwan University Master's student Daeun Kwak, the research team delved into medical literature from Klimt's fin de siècle era—the turn of the 19th into the 20th century—to uncover why these striking red discs found their way into the artist's most iconic work.
A close examination of The Kiss reveals clusters of red, disc-shaped forms on the woman's chest and knees—shapes that, to a medical eye, strikingly resemble red blood cells. These elements breathe vitality into the painting, intertwining the biological function of red blood cells with the psychological intensity of the colour red. The study proposes that the lovers'garments narrate a three-day cycle of life's creation, enriched with physiological symbolism.
One key historical link is Karl Landsteiner, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who discovered the ABO blood group system. His groundbreaking 1901 paper appeared in the Austrian medical journal Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift, where Professor Emil Zuckerkandl—a close friend of Klimt—served on the editorial board. Notably, in 1903, at Klimt's request, Zuckerkandl delivered an anatomy lecture for artists, shaping Klimt's evolving artistic approach (Dissecting Klimt, Im Joo Rhyu, 2024). Furthermore, Klimt is known to have owned a widely circulated German encyclopaedia, Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon, which featured colour illustrations of blood cells—suggesting that such imagery may have influenced his work.
Further reinforcing this interpretation, the woman's arms in The Kiss form a shape reminiscent of a heart. The red discs on her chest appear strategically placed near this symbolic heart, evoking the rhythmic pulse of life coursing through her body and the new life she carries. Meanwhile, the red discs on her knee seem to represent menstrual blood—a subtle yet powerful emblem of fertility and reproductive vitality. This suggests that Klimt deliberately incorporated menstruation as an intrinsic element of human development, elevating it to a central motif within his visual narrative.
To examine the impact of these red, blood cell-like forms, the research team created a modified version of The Kiss, titled Kiss, RBC Knockout Kiss, in which the red discs were removed. They then surveyed 300 visitors at the 2022 Ulsan International Art Fair (UiAF), presenting both the original and altered versions. Viewers described the original painting with words like intensity, splendour, vitality, beauty, and young love, whereas the modified version evoked impressions of monotony, stillness, and lifelessness.
Professor Rhyu remarked, "Klimt's The Kiss is a masterpiece that not only captures the ecstasy of love but also seamlessly weaves together art and medicine."He added, "By transforming the scientific knowledge of his time into an artistic metaphor, Klimt created a work that continues to mesmerise audiences. The fusion of science and culture remains not only relevant but essential in shaping our understanding of both art and the human experience."
This research builds upon the team's earlier study, published in the prestigious Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) in 2021, which explored human developmental symbolism in The Kiss. That study concluded that the patterns and motifs in the figures'garments metaphorically represent sperm, eggs, and fertilisation.
The findings of this latest study were published in the Journal of Korean Medical Science under the title "Medico-Artistic Analysis of Red Blood Cells in Gustav Klimt's The Kiss." (10.3346/jkms.2025.40.e19)
