The online art gallery overstockArt.com, published today its official Top 10 list of most romantic oil paintings for Valentine’s Day 2012. Topping the chart for the second year in a row is Gustav Klimt’s sensual masterpiece “The Kiss.” Other artists named on the 2012 Valentine’s Day Top 10 Romantic Oil Paintings list include Marc Chagall, Salvador Dali, Paul Gauguin, Edward Hopper, Pablo Picasso, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir.

The Top 10 Romantic Oil Paintings according to overstockArt.com’s statistics are:

1. “The Kiss,” Gustav Klimt
2. “Hand with Bouquet,” Pablo Picasso
3. “Summer Evening,” Edward Hopper
4. “The Equestrian,” Marc Chagall
5. “When Will you Marry?,” Paul Gauguin
6. “Dance in the City,” Pierre-Auguste Renoir
7. “Two Women Running on the Beach,” Pablo Picasso
8. “Boating on the Seine,” Pierre-Auguste Renoir
9. “Fulfillment (The Embrace),” Gustav Klimt
10. “The Meditative Rose,” Salvador Dali

More than 3,700,000 page views to overstockArt.com’s Romantic Art Gallery in the past year were tracked. According to the click tracking, “The Kiss,” was the most sought after painting clicked at nearly seven percent, and Pablo Picasso’s “Hand with Bouquet” came in second, garnering five percent of the clicks to grab.

Created during Klimt’s “Golden Period,” “The Kiss” is renowned because of its tender representation of two lovers intertwined into one being, symbolizing the strength of this bond. The opulent and sensuous images in the painting create a sense of decadence, which modern art lovers appreciate to this day. “The Kiss” has topped not only the Top 10 Romantic Oil Paintings for two consecutive years, but has been one of the top four paintings in overstockArt.com’s annual Top 10 Oil Paintings list for the past six years.

“Every February we see a large spike in the traffic visiting our Romantic Art Gallery. Last year, the two weeks leading to Valentine’s Day brought 50 percent of all annual traffic to the gallery,” said David Sasson, founder and president of overstockArt.com. “Valentine’s Day brings out the romantic in all of us and with sensuous paintings like ‘The Kiss’ and tender images such as ‘Hand with Bouquet’ – it’s easy to find a fine art piece that your loved one will treasure for a lifetime!”

The online art gallery, overstockArt.com, published today its official Top 10 list for most romantic painting for Valentine’s Day 2011. Topping the chart is Gustav Klimt’s sensual masterpiece “The Kiss.” Other artists named on the 2011 Valentine’s Day Top 10 Romantic Oil Paintings list include Marc Chagall, Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Vincent van Gogh.

The oil paintings that made the 2011 Valentine’s Day Top 10 Romantic Oil Paintings list are:

1. “The Kiss,” Gustav Klimt
2. “Dance in the City,” Pierre-Auguste Renoir
3. “The Lovers,” Pablo Picasso
4. “Lovers with Half Moon, 1926,” Marc Chagall
5. “The Heart,” Henri Matisse
6. “Fulfillment (The Embrace),” Gustav Klimt
7. “The Bridal Pair with The Eiffel Tower,” Marc Chagall
8. “Dance in the Country,” Pierre-Auguste Renoir
9. “Hand with Bouquet,” Pablo Picasso
10. “Noon: Rest from Work,” Vincent van Gogh

More than 3,000,000 page views to overstockArt.com’s romantic gallery were tracked. According to the click tracking, “The Kiss,” was the most sought after painting clicked at almost 37 percent, and Pierre-Auguste Renoir’s “Dance in the City” garnered 25 percent of the clicks to grab second.

“Klimt”s work uniquely reveals the sensuality of life and relationships – which is testament in his masterpieces ‘The Kiss’ and ‘Fulfillment (The Embrace),’” said David Sasson, founder and president of overstockArt.com. “His distinctive style remains extremely popular, which is evidenced by the fact that ‘The Kiss’ was named the most romantic oil painting of the year and was our third best-selling oil painting in 2010.”

The Kiss has become one of the most popular paintings in the world and is Austrian artist Gustav Klimt’s most famous painting. The Kiss Painting shows off Klimt’s best known style of gold shades and symbolic additions, and it is this that has made his work so popular with modern art lovers who prefer something uplifting to add to their homes.

The glowing themes of The Kiss painting by Klimt showed lovers intertwined into one being, symbolizing the strength of this bond. Some art traditionalists rejected this for its use of eroticism, but others found it refreshing.
Gustav Klimt’s popularity and appeal across Europe with more modern-thinking art lovers helped him to sway the seas of discontent that erupted from the erotic nature of many of his paintings. His prominent role in the Viennese Society and links to several galleries and museums across Austria helped him to continue his style. Klimt fans loved his use of golden backgrounds, intensive colors & ornamental layouts.
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