Le Baiser de Hotel de Ville

I first saw this picture in my high school government class, where my teacher had a reproduction hung on his wall. Immediately I noticed how well this picture had captured the classic romanticism of the 1940’s. I saw this picture as one that also captures the daily life in a chaotic 1940’s Europe. I have seen romanticism so well represented in motion pictures from this era. I have also noticed how romanticism seems to be fading away in today’s' modern society and culture.

Robert Doisneau photographed scenes of everyday life in Europe, this, he believed, would capture scenes that could not be reproduced or staged. Look closely at the females’ right hand; it is hanging on her side. The position of her arm is very similar to a walking position. One can then assume that this was a scene was a sudden show of affection that was initiated by the male. She was caught off guard, accepting the sign, but also not knowing how to react to it. If we also look at the eyes of the male, they are closed. A

nd it is quite possible that the eyes of the female are closed as well. They are closed, not looking into the street or at anyone. They are not looking because they do not care about what is on the street, the other people, or anything for that matter. For that second, they are completely engaged and engulfed by each other.

The romanticism of the picture was the major reason why I had remembered and chosen the picture. The couple embracing in the center symbolizes the classic unadulterated love that two people can have for each other. During the 1940’s Europe and the rest of the world had been engaged in World War II. Europe was torn apart by the constant fighting of France, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, and many other European nations. Many everyday routines were augmented by war, some were not. In a larger sense, this picture represents more than a dying sense of romanticism. This picture represents the endurance and necessity of daily tasks in a world of fighting and war.

While I was examining this photograph, many different questions had posed themselves. First, why, in the first place had the male or the couple chosen to randomly embrace each other in the mi

Some topics in this essay:
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