About
- Edvard Munch bestandskatalog
Munch's interest in the theme of bathers can be traced back to the 1890s and paintings such as Bathing Boys (The Nathional Museum, NG.M.01826). But it was in the early years of the new century that naked people bathing and soaking up the summer sun in outdoor settings became a focal concern generating many variations. Several works that Munch produced at Warnemünde on the Baltic Sea in north Germany during the summers of 1907 and 1908 seem to have encouraged this interest. Pictures such as Midsummer and Bathing Man (National Museum, NG.M.01699) illustrate how Munch developed the theme, although they also represent a continuation of his enduring preoccupation with the nude as such.
In Midsummer it is the female body that predominates. Six naked figures are spread out seemingly at random on the rocks beside the sea -- sitting, lying, standing. The bodies interact with the warm rocks, or seem to grow from them. The work is loosely composed around a triangular structure, which converges on one figure standing vertically on the central axis. A lush green area in the foreground contrasts with the warmer tones of the middle ground and the sparkling blue of the sea beyond, and the green-tinged hills on the far side of the fjord.
The work was painted at Hvitsten in 1915. In November 1910, Munch bought Nedre Ramme, a property in this village on the eastern shore of the Oslo Fjord. The location in the painting has been identified as a section of rocky shoreline just below the main house, while the models were probably Ingeborg Kaurin and her sister Solveig (Thiis 1933; Gauguin 1933; Flaatten 2016). The former worked frequently as a model around this time and is the subject of many nude paintings. Munch often came to Nedre Ramme to work and stay, not just during the summers, but also in the winter months. It was here that he produced several of the large canvases for the central hall, or Aula, at the university in Kristiania (Oslo). The property was sold after Munch's death in 1944.
The picture is a good example of Munch's artistic renewal in the early decades of the 20th century. The theme and idiom reflect the popularity in that period of vitalistic ideas, which celebrated outdoor activity, sports, health and body culture as expressions of a life-affirming attitude. Sunbathing was perceived as especially beneficial for health and well-being.
The painting was acquired by Olaf Schou from Munch's 1915 exhibition in Kristiania (Oslo) and immediately donated to the National Gallery. Munch produced another slightly smaller version of the same scene, probably around the same time (Woll 2008, M 1157). There are also several related, colour woodcuts with people sunbathing on the rocks from the same year (Sunbathing I and Sunbathing II, 1915, Woll 2001, G 536; G 537).
Øystein Ustvedt
The text was first published in Edvard Munch in the National Museum. A comprehensive overview (Oslo: National Museum, 2022).
- Creation date:
- 1915
- Other titles:
- Høysommer (NOR)
- Object type:
- Painting
- Materials and techniques:
- Olje på lerret
- Material:
- Canvas
- Dimensions:
- Width: 151 cm
- Height: 150.5 cm
- Keywords:
- Visual art
- Classification:
- 532 - Bildende kunst
- Motif:
- Summer
- Inventory no.:
- NG.M.01159
- Cataloguing level:
- Single object
- Inscriptions:
- Primary, Signature and dating, nede høyre: E. Munch 1915
- Acquisition:
- Gift from Olaf Schou 1915
- Owner and collection:
- Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections
- Photo:
- Børre Høstland
- Die Lebensreform. Entwurfe zur Neugestaltung von Leben und Kunst um 1900Darmstadt, Tyskland(2001–2002)Munch exhibition(1982)
- Hansen, Vibeke Waallann, et al. Edvard Munch i Nasjonalmuseet: en samlet oversikt. Redigert av Ustvedt, Øystein, et al. Oslo: Nasjonalmuseet, 2022. kat.nr. 51.
- Flaatten, Hans-Martin Frydenberg. Edvard Munch. Høysommer i Hvitsten - Hans kunstnerliv på Nedre Ramme 1910-44. Vestby: Vestby kommune, 2016. 8, 9, 134–5, 215.
- Flaatten, Hans-Martin Frydenberg. «Byen, fjorden og landskapet. Edvard Munchs søken etter stedets sjel», i «Edvard Munch 1863-1944», utstillingskatalog, 2013. 95.
- Woll, Gerd. Edvard Munch: samlede malerier: B. 3: 1909-1920. Oslo: Cappelen Damm, 2008. kat.nr. 1158.
- Yvenes, Marianne, et al. Museumsfeber: Verk fra samlingene, inkludert: Louise Lawler: 24.09.2005-01.01.2006. Oslo: Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, 2005. 33, 39, 78.
- Buchholz, Kai, red. Die Lebensreform. Entwürfe zur Neugestaltung von Leben und Kunst um 1900. Die Lebensreform. Darmstadt: Institut Mathildenhöhe, 2001. 223.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Norske malerier. Katalog. Oslo, 1992. 345.
- Eggum, Arne. Edvard Munch og hans modeller, 1912-1943. Utstillingskatalog. Oslo: Munchmuseet, 1988. 34–7.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Katalog over norsk malerkunst: med 158 illustrasjoner. Oslo, 1968. kat.nr. 1300.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Katalog over norsk malerkunst. Oslo, 1950. kat.nr. 1081.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Norsk malerkunst i Nasjonalgalleriet. Oslo, 1933. kat.nr. 965.
- Thiis, Jens. Edvard Munch og hans samtid: Slekten, livet og kunsten, geniet. Oslo: Gyldendal, 1933. 311.
- Gauguin, Pola. Edvard Munch. Oslo: Aschehoug, 1933. 241–2.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Edvard Munch. Utstillingskatalog. Oslo, 1927. kat.nr. 219.
- Glaser, Curt. Edvard Munch. Berlin: Bruno Cassirer, 1917. 194.
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.
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Other works by Edvard Munch
Night in NiceEdvard Munch(1891)
Mother and DaughterEdvard MunchAntagelig 1897
MoonlightEdvard Munch1895
Winter on the FjordEdvard Munch1915
The Frenchman. Marcel ArchinardEdvard MunchAntagelig 1904
Mrs. SchwarzEdvard Munch(1906)
PubertyEdvard Munch(1894)
Garden in Snow IIEdvard MunchPlaten utført 1913; trykket 1913
The ScreamEdvard Munch1893
Study of a HeadEdvard Munch1883
MadonnaEdvard Munch(1894)
Street in Kragerø with ChildrenEdvard Munch1910







































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