Anatomy of a Kiss

I went to the Phoenix Art Museum today.
They are having another Monet exhibit, and since he is a particular favorite of mine, I was so excited to have the pleasure of going. There are, in the museum, many pieces that I gravitate to. Every time I visit something in them calls to me in a voice I've come to love like my own. Philip Curtis for example, and today especially Rodin. His masterpiece sculpture, The Kiss.
I can never seem to get enough of this piece when I go, there is a subtlty in it that I find fascinating.
For instance, I love that the bodies of the two lovers are entwined, touching in a way that suggests they are passionate. This is definately no peck on the cheek, "Hi honey, I'm home" kind of expression. It is very sensual, perhaps the beginning of sexual arousal. I love too, that the male is supporting the female. On the bottom, holding her on his lap with one arm embracing her, soft and gentle. I get the feeling he would like to draw her in a little closer to him. I love the tilt of her head and the way she has turned her body to him with one arm around his neck, a subtle display of surrender and yeilding. I love that the artist has chosen to place the male's hand on the woman's hip rather than grasping for her breast. This, in my opinion gives the impression of beauty and sweet moments rather than hot and heavy sex, making the piece harsh and maybe vulgar. As you walk completely around the sculpture you can see that all of their limbs are touching, they are connected at every angle. What I love the most though, is the way Rodin, in my opinion, has made them equal in this moment. The man is supporting the woman by being under her, he is not dominating her by standing or kneeling over or in front of her. You know, it's so common, that "I've come to rescue/fix you" pose that we see so often in art and film. The Prince Charming syndrome. Conversely, I love that the woman although turned to a yeilding position is free. Her legs dangle slightly her arms are free of obstruction, there is a sense of movement in the way she is voluntarily sitting. He is not smothering her or gathering up her arms in a tight embrace to restrict the movement implied.
I can relate to this, I connect on some level with this. I too, want to be free in my yelding. I want to be supported and carressed without being dominated and smothered. I want the freedom to chose, "do I sit or do I go"? In all of my male friendships there is nothing that I need from them, I simply want them. There is nothing in me that I'm looking to them to fix, there is no situation that I need them to rescue me from. We are equals, we are partners. Vunerability and strength are two dance partners guiding eachother in tandem to the music.