Madonna

  • Artist: Edvard Munch
  • Creation date: (1894)
  • Object type: Painting

On display: Room 060 The Collection Exhibition - Edvard Munch

Artist/producer

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:
(1894)
Other titles:
Madonna (NOR)
Object type:
Materials and techniques:
Olje på lerret
Material:
Dimensions:
  • Width: 70.5 cm
  • Height: 90.5 cm
Keywords:
Classification:
Motif:
Motif - type:
Acquisition:
Gift from Olaf Schou 1909
Inventory no.:
NG.M.00841
Part of exhibition:
Livets dans. Samlingen fra antikken til 1950, 2011 - 2019
Edvard Munchs utställning, 1894
[Edvard Munch], 1912
Edvard Munch - Maleriudstilling, 1897
Ausstellung Edvard Munch, 1954
Edvard Munch 1863-1944, 1974
Edvard Munch 1863-1944, 1973
Edvard Munch, 1970
Edvard Munch. I oss er verdener, 2019 - 2020
Edvard Munch, 1895
Edvard Munch, 1913
Fyns Stiftsmuseums Edvard Munch udstilling, 1955
Ausstellung Edvard Munch, 1955
Edvard Munch, 1970
150 Jahre Norwegische Malerei, 1964
Edvard Munch. The Frieze of Life, 1992 - 1993
Edvard Munch, 1958
Edvard Munch, 1895
Edvard Munch und Axel Gallén, 1895
Kunstforeningens Edvard Munch udstilling, 1955
Höjdpunkter i norsk konst, 1968
Edvard Munch. The Frieze of Life, 1993
Olaf Schous gaver til Nasjonalgalleriet, 1987 - 1988
Munch 150, 2013
La biennale di Venezia, 1954
Edvard Munch, 1896
Edvard Munch, 1918
Edvard Munch, 1927
Edvard Munch. Malarstwo i grafika, 1959
Les sources du XXe siècle. Les arts en Europe 1884 à1914, 1960 - 1961
Edvard Munch, 1970
Edvard Munch, 1971
Edvard Munch. The Frieze of Life, 1993
Edvard Munch, 1962 - 1963
Fünfte Kunstausstellung der Berliner Secession, 1902
[Edvard Munch], 1903
Edv. Munch-Udstilling, 1900
Edvard Munch, 1958 - 1959
Edvard Munch 1863-1944, 1974
Edvard Munch, 1968
Tradisjon og fornyelse. Norge rundt århundreskiftet, 1994 - 1995
Cataloguing level:
Single object
Owner and collection:
Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections
Photo:
Børre Høstland