KISS GOODBYE

The Weight of a Faded Love

In "Kiss Goodbye," Arjan Spannenburg captures the heavy, paralysing stillness that follows the collapse of a deep connection. Whether through the finality of death, the shock of betrayal, or the slow unravelling of divorce, this work explores the moment the soul goes numb.

The Vulnerability of the Stripped Self

The choice of a naked subject is not merely aesthetic; it is a profound metaphor for the aftermath of loss. When love or friendship is stripped away, the armour we wear in the world vanishes. Spannenburg presents the body as it truly is in grief: exposed, unprotected, and entirely vulnerable. The skin, illuminated against a void of darkness, reflects a person who has been "stripped of everything," left only with the raw reality of their own existence.

The Numbing Effect of Betrayal

There is a specific tension in the pose, a body that is present but seemingly unable to move. It illustrates how the pain of loss can physically numb a person, leaving them caught in a state of stasis. The subject leans into the darkness, representing that heavy, hollow feeling where the world continues to move while the individual remains frozen in their sorrow.

The Essential Crimson: A Symbol of What Remains

While the artist often works with the mastery of light and shade, the use of colour in "Kiss Goodbye" is vital to its narrative power. The deep red of the roses represents the love that once was, the vibrant, living thing that has now been severed.

Were the image rendered in monochrome, the vital pulse of the work would be absent. The crimson roses are essential; they represent the anchor to a departed affection, one which the heart struggles intensely to retain.

The contrast between the warm tones of the skin and the blood-red petals serves as a reminder that although the connection has changed forever, the memory of that love remains a stark, vivid weight in the hands of the bereaved.