Old Man Praying

  • Artists:

    • Edvard Munch
    • M. W. Lassally (Founder, printer i.a. in duplication)
  • Creation date: Platen utført 1902; trykket mellom 1906 og 1914
  • Object type: Print

Not on display

Artists/producers

  • Edvard Munch

    Visual artist, Painter, Graphic artist, Photographer, Drawing artist

    Born 12.12.1863 in Løten, Hedmark, death 23.01.1944 in Oslo

    Edvard Munch worked as an artist for over sixty years. He was creative, ambitious and hardworking. He produced nearly two thousand paintings, hundreds of graphic motifs and thousands of drawings. In addition, he wrote poems, prose and diaries. The Scream, Madonna, Death in the Sickroom and the other symbolist works from the 1890s have made him one of the most famous artists of our time.

    "Don't become an artist!"

    Edvard wanted to become an artist early on, and there was no doubt that he had talent. But his father refused to allow him to follow his dream, so Edvard began studying engineering. But already after one year he chose to defy his father, and switched from engineering college to the Norwegian National Academy of Craft and Art Industry in Kristiania, now Oslo.

    A talented and provocative bohemian

    It was obvious to everyone in the Norwegian art community that the young man showed rare talent. In 1883, at the age of 20, he debuted at Høstutstillingen (The Autumn Exhibition). In 1886, Munch became acquainted with author and anarchist Hans Jæger, a leading figure in the Kristiania bohemian community. The bohemian community convinced Munch that the arts had to renew themselves to reach people and to have relevance in their lives. In the same year he exhibited the painting The Sick Child. This generated debate!

    Courage led to breakthrough

    Some acclaimed The Sick Child a work of genius, while others deemed it unfinished and unworthy of exhibition. Today it is considered to mark Munch's breakthrough. It was here that demonstrated the independence and willingness to break fresh ground.

    From this point until his final brush strokes, his artistic practice can be summed up in just word: experimentation. Munch did not care about established "rules" for so-called good art. His techniques in both painting and graphics were innovative.

    From people's emotional life to agriculture and landscape

    Henrik Ibsen's plays about humanity's existential challenges inspired Munch. Themes such as death, love, sexuality, jealousy and anxiety were central to his early images. Some themes sprang from personal experience. For example, Death in the Sickroom and The Sick Child are linked to his memory of his mother and sister's illnesses and early deaths.

    After 1910, Munch chose a quieter and secluded life. At his own farms at Ekely in Oslo and in Hvitsten, he found entirely new motifs, such as agriculture, working life and landscapes. Man in the Cabbage Field is a typical example from this period.

Work info

Creation date:
Platen utført 1902; trykket mellom 1906 og 1914
Other titles:
Gammel mann i bønn (NOR)
Gebet des Alten Mannes (GER)
Object type:
Materials and techniques:
Tresnitt, trykket i sort og grågult, på papir
Material:
Keywords:
Classification:
Inventory no.:
NG.K&H.1982.0759
Cataloguing level:
Single object
Acquisition:
Bequeathed by Hermine og Odd Blom Nielsen, accessioned 1982
Owner and collection:
Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections
Photo:
Ivarsøy, Dag Andre