George Minne

The motif of naked figures clasping each other occurs several times in Minnesota's work. Whereas in Two Men Fighting (c. 1886) the wrestling figures clasp each other in a firm grip, in The Embrace the characters almost merge into one body. The heads of the two individuals, a man and a woman, are turned to the same side. The man embraces the woman by wrapping both his arms around her neck, while the woman covers his shoulder with her right hand and the hand of her left arm rests on his right shoulder blade. The woman balances on the ground with the toe of her right leg, her left leg is hooked around the back of her right calf, with the foot just squeezing the man's thigh. The man's legs rest on a rough piece of stone and encompass the woman's body. The intimate intertwining of bodies in Minne often has a spiritual undertone.