Painting

Night in Saint-Cloud

Artist: Edvard Munch
Creation date: (1890)

On display: Room 060 The Collection Exhibition - Edvard Munch

About

In the years 1889-91, Munch lived in France, supported by an artist’s bursary from the Norwegian state. When cholera broke out in Paris in December 1889, Munch moved to Saint-Cloud, outside the city. There he rented the floor above a café, which commanded a beautiful view of the Seine. In the atmospheric and melancholy Night in Saint- Cloud, we see both the inside of his dark room and the view through the window late at night. At the window sits a man lost in thought. It might be a friend, the Danish poet Emanuel Goldstein. Shortly afterwards, Munch would design the vignette for Goldstein’s anthology of symbolist poems Alruner (1891), an illustration that served as predecessor to Melancholy (1892), now in the National Museum’s collection.

In the catalogue to his 1929 exhibition at Blomqvist Fine Art, Munch published a few “Brief excerpts from my diaries – 1889-1929”. Among the various remarks, we find the famous statement that later became known as his “artistic manifesto”. He dated this to Saint-Cloud 1889: “The subjects of painting will no longer be interiors, with people reading and women knitting. / They will be living, breathing people who feel and love and suffer–. / People will understand what is sacred in these things and doff their hats as in a church.” This is followed by a remark which the artist dates to 1889-1900: “I paint not what I see but what I saw.” In these statements Munch registers his distance from the accurate depictions of realism.

Night in Saint- Cloud was painted at around the time he wrote this “manifesto”. But it took several years before Munch seriously rejected the inner world in favour of the exterior one. Night in Saint-Cloud was first exhibited at the National Annual Autumn Exhibition in 1890 with the title Night. It was purchased for the National Gallery from Dr. Fredrik Arentz’ estate in 1917.

Edvard Munch bestandskatalog
The picture was painted in Saint-Cloud, on the outskirts of Paris. Having received his first state travel grant, Munch spent the winter of 1889--90 in the Paris area. It is night and the room is shrouded in hazy gloom. A dim light seeps in from outside, creating a cruciform shadow of the window frame on the expanse of open floor. The forms are generalised and flat, the paint applied with bold brushstrokes. The room and the figure stand in sharp contrast to the world beyond the window, producing a mood of melancholy. With reference to Munch's written notes from the time, the work has been interpreted as reflecting the loss of his father, who died a month before Munch moved to Saint-Cloud.

This is one of the ten paintings by Munch that were accepted for the National Annual Autumn Exhibition in 1890. There it was listed under the title Nat(Night). Apparently, Munch also referred to it as "Symphony in Blue", suggesting he might have drawn inspiration from James McNeill Whistler's blue-toned "Nocturnes" (Varnedoe 1982, 186). On the occasion of the exhibition, the art historian Andreas Aubert wrote a lengthy review of Munch's art in Dagbladet. In this, he describes the painting as "the finest work he has done in years". Aubert adds: "I have also noticed its potential to captivate people from well beyond the painter's own circle." For Aubert, the young artist displayed an unusual sensitivity that aligned his work with the new European decadent aesthetic, which placed the focus on the cultivation of the artist's personality (Dagbladet, 5 November 1890). The picture was praised by many at the time, including the writers Sigbjørn Obstfelder and Vilhelm Krag. Krag even took the painting as inspiration for his poem Nat. Many years later, Jens Thiis highlighted the work as "extremely important for Munch's new and highly individual direction" (Thiis 1933, 176). In his view, the evocative "blue painting" marked a new phase in the artist's development at the turn of the 1890s.

The doctor, geologist and outdoor enthusiast Fredrik Arentz bought the picture from the 1890 National Annual Autumn Exhibition. The picture featured in most of Munch's exhibitions in the 1890s, and the fact that the artist was willing to fetch it for each event indicates that he himself regarded it as important and successful. In 1891 Munch was planning an exhibition in Berlin, and in a letter to his Aunt Karen back in Norway, he asked for help with some of the pictures he wanted to include, one of which was the "moonlight picture that Dr Arentz bought" (emunch.no: MM N 765).

Munch often adapted his compositions in later works. Night in Saint-Cloud is one of the earliest examples of this practice. It was a popular picture, and he received orders for four copies. The second version, in oils on canvas, was probably done in Berlin in 1893 (Woll 2008 B, M 302). At that point he had access to the first version, which he had loaned from the owner for the exhibition at the Verein Berliner Künstler. He also made two versions in pastels (Woll 2008 B, M 285; M 286) and one in oils on paper (Woll 2008 B, M 287). Further, he produced the image as an etching, which was included in a portfolio of prints published by Julius Meier-Graefe in 1895. In the latter, the cruciform shadow of the window frame on the floor is emphasised. The National Gallery purchased Night in Saint-Cloud from Arentz's heirs in 1917. At that point it was entered into the museum's supplementary record under the title Natt (Night). The picture was known by this title up until the 1970s, since when the name of Saint-Cloud has been added.

Vibeke Waallann Hansen

The text was first published in Edvard Munch in the National Museum. A comprehensive overview (Oslo: National Museum, 2022)
Creation date:
(1890)
Other titles:
Natt i Saint-Cloud (NOR)
Notte a St. Cloud (ITA)
Nacht in St. Cloud (DEU)
Object type:
Painting
Technique and material:
Olje på lerret
Material:
Canvas
Dimensions:
Width: 54 cm
Height: 64.5 cm
Keywords:
Visual art
Classification:
532 - Bildende kunst
Inventory no.:
NG.M.01111
Cataloguing level:
Single object
Inscriptions:
Primary, Signature, nede høyre: E Munch
Acquisition:
Aquired with funds from A.C. Houen Endowment 1917
Provenance:
[40] Previous owner, Fredrik Arentz
Owner and collection:
Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections
Photo:
Høstland, Børre
Munch - Van GoghAmsterdam, Nederland(2015–2016)
Munch - Van GoghOslo(2015)
Munch 150Oslo(2013)
Munch blir «Munch» . Kunstneriske strategier 1880-1892Oslo(2008–2009)
Edvard Munch. Signs of Modern ArtSveits(2007)
Edvard Munch. The modern life of the soulNew York, USA(2006)
Munch 1863-1944Roma, Italia(2005)
Edvard Munch - Thema und VariationWien, Østerrike(2003)
Edvard Munch. Dal realismo all’espressionismoFirenze, Italia(1999–2000)
ExhibitionBærum(1996)
ExhibitionNew York, USA(1995–1996)
Munch og FrankrikeOslo(1992)
Munch in FrankreichFrankfurt am Main, Tyskland(1992)
Munch et la FranceParis, Frankrike(1991–1992)
Edvard MunchEssen, Tyskland(1987)
Edvard MunchSveits(1987–1988)
Northern light. Realism and symbolism in Scandinavian paintingMinneapolis, USA(1983)
Munch exhibitionNara, Japan(1982)
Munch exhibition(1982)
Northern light. Realism and symbolism in Scandinavian paintingNew York, USA(1982–1983)
Munch exhibitionNagoya, Japan(1982)
[Malerier og grafikk av Edvard Munch]Russland(1982)
Northern light. Realism and symbolism in Scandinavian paintingWashington D.C., USA(1982)
[Malerier og grafikk av Edvard Munch]Moskva, Russland(1982)
Munch exhibitionJapan(1981)
Munch exhibitionSapporo, Japan(1981)
The masterworks of Edvard MunchNew York, USA(1979)
Edvard Munch. Symbols & ImagesWashington D.C., USA(1978–1979)
Norsk malerkunst fra 1800 til 1930-åreneKristiansand(1972)
Edvard MunchJapan(1971)
Edvard MunchNagoya, Japan(1970)
Edvard MunchKobe, Japan(1970)
Edvard MunchKamakura, Japan(1970)
Edvard MunchNew York, USA(1965–1966)
Edvard Munch. Malarstwo i grafikaWarszawa, Polen(1959)
Edvard Munch. Wiener FestwochenWien, Østerrike(1959)
Fyns Stiftsmuseums Edvard Munch udstillingFyn, Danmark(1955)
Ausstellung Edvard MunchKöln, Tyskland(1955)
Kunstforeningens Edvard Munch udstillingKøbenhavn, Danmark(1955)
Ausstellung Edvard MunchMünchen, Tyskland(1954)
La biennale di VeneziaVeneto, Italia(1954)
Edvard MunchOslo(1927)
Den Norske Kunst-udstillingKøbenhavn, Danmark(1915)
Sonderausstellung des Malers Eduard MunchDresden, Tyskland(1893)
Sonderausstellung des Malers Eduard MunchSilesia, Polen(1893)
Eduard Munch's samlede arbejderKøbenhavn, Danmark(1893)
Sonderausstellung des Malers Eduard MunchMünchen, Tyskland(1893)
Edvard Munchs maleriudstillingKristiania, Norge(1892)
Sonderausstellung des Malers Eduard MunchTyskland(1892)
Sonderausstellung des Malers Eduard MunchBerlin, Tyskland(1892)
Sonderausstellung des Malers Eduard MunchKöln, Tyskland(1892)
Sonderausstellung des Malers Eduard MunchBerlin, Tyskland(1892–1893)
Münchener Jahresausstellung von Kunstwerken aller NationenMünchen, Tyskland(1891)
Kunstudstillingen [Høstutstillingen]Kristiania, Norge(1890)
Hansen, Vibeke Waallann, et al. Edvard Munch i Nasjonalmuseet: en samlet oversikt. Redigert av Ustvedt, Øystein, et al. Oslo: Nasjonalmuseet, 2022. kat.nr. 14.
Kaaring, Liza. «Et vekselspil. Venskabet mellom Edvard Munch og Emanuel Goldstein», i «Munch og Goldstein. Intense linjer», utstillingskatalog, 2019. 27.
Ustvedt, Øystein. Munch: En introduksjon til bildene og livet. Oslo: Stenersens forlag, 2018. 62.
Mørstad, Erik. «Edvard Munch: formative år 1874-1892. Norske og franske impulser». Universitetet i Oslo, 2016. 44, 191, 196, 229, 241, 244, 259.
Krämer, Felix. «The Blackness of Night / Die Schwärze der Nacht», i «Unheimlich. Innenräume von Edvard Munch bis Max Beckmann = The Uncanny Home. Interiors from Edvard Munch to Max Beckmann», utstillingskatalog, 2016. 118–9.
Lloyd, Jill. «Van Gogh og Munch: Et spørsmål om stil», i «Van Gogh + Munch», utstillingskatalog, 2015. 126.
Dijk, Maite van. «Vive la France! Munch, Van Gogh og moderne fransk kunst», i «Van Gogh + Munch», utstillingskatalog, 2015. 118.
Stein, Mille, et al. «A contribution to the varnish history of the paintings by Edvard Munch at the National Museum and Munch Museum», i «Public paintings by Edvard Munch and his contemporaries. Change and conservation challenges», 2015. 118, 262.
Grøgaard, Stian. Edvard Munch: et utsatt liv. Oslo: Akademika, 2013. 349.
Ohlsen, Nils. «Edvard Munchs visuelle retorikk - en tilnærming med utgangspunkt i utvalgte interiører», i «Edvard Munch 1863-1944», utstillingskatalog, 2013. 200.
Huber, Hans Dieter. Edvard Munch. Tanz der Lebens. Eine Biographie. Stuttgart: Reclam, 2013. 40–1.
Mørstad, Erik. «Munch and the literary». Kunst og kultur 96, nr. 4 (2013). 209–10.
Volle, Wenche. «Munchs rom». [avhandling ph.d.]. Arkitektur- og designhøgskolen i Oslo, 2012. 115, 196–7.
Helleland, Allis. «Edvard Munch - et liv i angst», i «Edvard Munch. Angst», utstillingskatalog, 2012. 24.
Bischoff, Ulrich. Edvard Munch 1863-1944: Images of Life and Death. Köln: Taschen, 2011. 18.
Cathrine, Arnaud. «Itinéraire d’un enfant terrible», i «Edvard Munch au Centre Pompidou», utstillingskatalog, 2011. 22–3.
Hansen, Dorothee, et al. «Die ausgestellten Werke», i «Edvard Munch - Rätsel hinter der Leinwand», utstillingskatalog, 2011. 18, 72, 74.
Kuuva, Sari. «Symbol, Munch and Creativity. Metabolism of Visual Symbols». University of Jyväskylä, 2010. 66.
Pettersen, Petra. «Munch. Un ‘outsider’ del suo tempo», i «Munch e lo spirito del Nord. Scandinavia nel secondo ottocento», utstillingskatalog, 2010. 106.
Clarke, Jay A. Becoming Edvard Munch. Influence, Anxiety and Myth. Utstillingskatalog. Chicago: The Art Institute of Chicago, 2009. 12, 37, 40, 50, 62.
Junillon, Ingrid. Edvard Munch face à Henrik Ibsen: impressions d’un lecteur. Leuven: Peeters, 2009. 74.
Alessandrini, Marco. La mente spiegata da Edvard Munch. Psicoanalisi in dialogo con un artista. Roma: Edizione Magi, 2009. 93.
Buchhart, Dieter. «Edvard Munch og Danmark. København, en bro til moderniteten», i «Edvard Munch og Danmark», utstillingskatalog, 2009. 13.
Woll, Gerd. Edvard Munch: Samlede malerier: B. 1: 1880-1897. Oslo: Cappelen Damm, 2008. kat.nr. 192.
López, Horacio. Grandes maestros de la pintura: Munch. Barcelona: Editorial Sol 90 S.L., 2008. 26.
Woll, Gerd. «Bruk og gjenbruk i Munchs tidligste malerier», i «Munch blir ‘Munch’. Kunstneriske strategier 1880-1892», utstillingskatalog, 2008. 94, 98.
Guleng, Mai Britt. «Utstillingsstrategi og kunstnerisk individualitet. Edvard Munchs kritikere 1892», i «Munch blir ‘Munch’. Kunstneriske strategier 1880-1892», utstillingskatalog, 2008. 216, 226–7.
Gott, Ted. «Munch and Paris», i «Edvard Munch: The Frieze of Life», utstillingskatalog, 2004. 40.
Woll, Gerd. «A Good Picture Never Vahishes. The Artist and His Effects», i «Edvard Munch: The Frieze of Life», utstillingskatalog, 2004. 23.
Cross, Elizabeth, red. «Woman, Love, Jealousy», i «Edvard Munch: The Frieze of Life», utstillingskatalog, 2004. 86.
Næss, Atle. Munch. En biografi. Oslo: Gyldendal, 2004. 104–9.
Lange, Marit. «Edvard Munchs ‘Natt i Saint Cloud’. Fortolkninger og forvrengninger», i «Fra romersk barokk til norsk nyromantikk. Utvalgte artikler», 2003. 79–80.
Billeter, Erika. «Aspekte der Melancholie. Zu Nachtbildern von Edvard Munch und Edward Hopper», i «Die Nacht», utstillingskatalog, 1998. 120.
Bjerke, Øivind Storm. Edvard Munch, Harald Sohlberg. Landscapes of the mind. Utstillingskatalog. New York: National Academy of Design, 1995. 30–1.
Bischoff, Ulrich. Edvard Munch. 1864-1944. Köln: Benedict Taschen, 1993. 18.
Pietsch, Ulrich. «Edvard Munch», i «Das Licht des Nordens», utstillingskatalog, 1993. 29.
Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Norske malerier. Katalog. Oslo, 1992. 337.
Rapetti, Rodolphe. Munch et Paris 1889-1891. i «Munch et la France», utstillingskatalog. Paris: Réunion des Musées nationaux, 1991. 90–1.
Eggum, Arne. «Om betydningen av Munchs to opphold i Frankrike, 1891 og 1892», i «Munch og Frankrike», utstillingskatalog, 1991, [106-147]. 108.
Heller, Reinhold. Munch: his life and work. London: John Murray, 1984. 58, 65–6.
Varnedoe, Kirk. Northern light: Realism and Symbolism in Scandinavian Painting. Utstillingskatalog. New York: The Brooklyn Museum, 1982. 186.
Rosenblum, Robert. «Edvard Munch. Some changing contexts», i «Edvard Munch. Symbols and Images», utstillingskatalog, 1-9, 1978. 2.
Nergaard, Trygve. «Despair», i «Edvard Munch. Symbols and Images», utstillingskatalog, 1978. 118.
Heller, Reinhold. «Edvard Munch’s ‘Night’, the aesthetics of decadence, and the content of biography». Arts Magazine 53 (1978). 80–1.
Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Katalog over norsk malerkunst: med 158 illustrasjoner. Oslo, 1968. kat.nr. 1270.
Langaard, Ingrid Lindbäck. Edvard Munch. Modningsår. En studie i tidlig ekspresjonisme og symbolisme. Oslo: Gyldendal, 1960. 106–7.
Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Katalog over norsk malerkunst. Oslo, 1950. kat.nr. 1053.
Romdahl, Axel. «Edvard Munch som expressionist». Tidskrift för konstvetenskap, 1947. 175–6.
Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Norsk malerkunst i Nasjonalgalleriet. Oslo, 1933. kat.nr. 943.
Thiis, Jens. Edvard Munch og hans samtid: Slekten, livet og kunsten, geniet. Oslo: Gyldendal, 1933. 176.
Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Edvard Munch. Utstillingskatalog. Oslo, 1927. kat.nr. 40.
Nasjonalmuseet's collection catalogue is a living resource of information gathered since the 1830's. Some records may contain language or ideas that today could be perceived as outdated, offensive or discriminatory with regard to for instance gender, sexuality, ethnicity or disability, and that may be at odds with the museum's values regarding equality and diversity.

Do you have suggestions for how this record can be improved? We would like to hear from you! 

If you would like more information about specific objects in the collection or about objects that haven't been published online, please contact the museum. You can read more about how we work with the collection and our cataloguing practice here.

About

Other works by Edvard Munch

Explore other works: