About Klimt: Gustav Klimt was a prominent figure in the world of the Symbolism and Vienna Secession art styles. A lot of his main focus was on the female body and often he his recognized by the elegance of his use of gold coloring and soft patterns. 
Klimt was born in 1862 in Baumgarten, Austria near Vienna. He was the second of seven children in his family, to which all three sons showed artistic talent early on. The Klimt children grew up in poverty, due to the fact that his father was originally from Bohemia and it was hard for immigrants to find work. At fourteen, Gustav received a scholarship to the Vienna  University of Applied Arts where he studied and made art on comission, alonside his classmates and professors. Later in life, after his schooling, Klimt found muses for his paintings,  and often did his art in an erotic style, which is seen mainly in his pencil drawings. The Kiss, however, is meant to symbolize eternal love. The government of Vienna declared it to be of national interest and purchased it, soon to be put in the Belvedere Palace.