About
- Edvard Munch bestandskatalog
Munch often painted outdoors, and many of his landscapes are direct responses to the places they depict. Here, it was the hills and rock formations near Kragerø with a view of the fjord that provided the subject matter. The combination of site-specific nature study with a relatively free, expressive idiom is characteristic of many of the landscapes he produced at Kragerø. The stark contrast between the patches of black rock and the white snow produces a graphic effect, which is softened by rich nuances of colour in the snow and the unifying bluish-violet key tone. The vivid light and the use of coarse, heavy brushstrokes signal dynamism and energy, a quality we find in many of Munch's paintings from this period.
Following his convalescence at Dr. Jacobson's private clinic in Denmark from autumn 1908 to spring 1909, Munch returned to Norway. Initially, he set up home at Kragerø, where he rented the Skrubben property. The months he spent there were artistically rewarding. He produced works of renewed vitality and cultivated a growing network of collectors and clients. The period culminates in the decorative paintings for the central hall, the Aula, at the university in Kristiania (Oslo), which he completed in 1916. Both thematically and stylistically, *Winter on the Fjord *can be read in conjunction with that major commission. The contours and shapes of the landscape are echoed in several of the Aula paintings, including Solen (The Sun). During the period 1909--1916, Munch produced a number of comparable winter landscapes while staying either at Kragerø or at Hvitsten deeper into the fjord on the opposite shore. This painting is one of several such pictures from 1915, the last year he stayed at Kragerø. Two works from the same year can be related to this one (Woll 2008, M 1125; M 1127).
This is the only landscape painting from Kragerø in the National Museum's collection. It was gifted to the National Gallery by Charlotte and Christian Mustad in 1937.
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:
- Vinter ved fjorden (NOR)
- Object type:
- Painting
- Materials and techniques:
- Olje på lerret
- Material:
- Canvas
- Dimensions:
- Height: 103 cm
- Width: 128 cm
- Keywords:
- Visual art
- Classification:
- 532 - Bildende kunst
- Motif - type:
- Landscape
- Inventory no.:
- NG.M.01864
- Cataloguing level:
- Single object
- Inscriptions:
- Primary, Signature and dating, nede høyre: E. Munch 1915
- Acquisition:
- Gift from Charlotte and Christian Mustad 1937
- Provenance:
- [40] Previous owner, Christian Nicolai Mustad
[40] Previous owner, Charlotte Mustad - Owner and collection:
- Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections
- Photo:
- Børre Høstland
- Hansen, Vibeke Waallann, et al. Edvard Munch i Nasjonalmuseet: en samlet oversikt. Redigert av Ustvedt, Øystein, et al. Oslo: Nasjonalmuseet, 2022. kat.nr. 50.
- Grøgaard, Stian. Edvard Munch: et utsatt liv. Oslo: Akademika, 2013. 352.
- Flaatten, Hans-Martin Frydenberg. «Schede critiche», i «Munch e lo spirito del Nord. Scandinavia nel secondo ottocento», utstillingskatalog, 2010. 341.
- Flaatten, Hans-Martin Frydenberg. Soloppgang i Kragerø: historien om Edvard Munchs liv på Skrubben 1909-1915. Kragerø kommune og Kragerø og Skåtøy historielag, 2009. 121.
- Hamran, Ulf. «Edvard Munchs Kragerø-bilder», i «Historieglimt. Årsskrift for Kragerø og Skåtøy historielag», 2009. 131.
- Woll, Gerd. Edvard Munch: samlede malerier: B. 3: 1909-1920. Oslo: Cappelen Damm, 2008. kat.nr. 1126.
- Ohlsen, Nils. «Ein Jahresfries. Die Landschaft im Spätwerk von Edvard Munch», i «Edvard Munch. Bilder aus Norwegen», utstillingskatalog, 2004. 19.
- Fredlund, Björn, red. Edvard Munch: Göteborgs konstmuseum, 28 september 2002 - 6 januari 2003. Utstillingskatalog. Göteborg: Göteborgs konstmuseum, 2002. 108–9.
- Prelinger, Elizabeth, et al. After the Scream: the late paintings of Edvard Munch. Atlanta: High Museum of Art og Yale University Press, 2002. 49.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Norske malerier. Katalog. Oslo, 1992. 345.
- Stang, Ragna. Edvard Munch: mennesket og kunstneren. Oslo: Aschehoug, 1977. 220.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Katalog over norsk malerkunst: med 158 illustrasjoner. Oslo, 1968. kat.nr. 1301.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Katalog over norsk malerkunst. Oslo, 1950. kat.nr. 1082.
- Thiis, Jens. Edvard Munch og hans samtid: Slekten, livet og kunsten, geniet. Oslo: Gyldendal, 1933. 297.
- Nasjonalgalleriet, red. Edvard Munch. Utstillingskatalog. Oslo, 1927. kat.nr. 217.
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.
Other works by Edvard Munch
The Day AfterEdvard Munch(1894)
Inger in Black and VioletEdvard Munch1892
Thorvald LøchenEdvard Munch1918
House with Red Virginia CreeperEdvard MunchAntagelig mellom 1898 og 1899
Tupsy JebeEdvard Munch1896
Workers Returning HomeEdvard Munch1920
Seated NudeEdvard Munch(1913)
Study for a PortraitEdvard Munch1887
Scene from BygdøyEdvard MunchCirka 1881
WomanEdvard MunchCirka 1894
Two Children by the Window; Fighting couple and a Devil; Girl seeing a Devil's FeetEdvard MunchCirka 1884
AshesEdvard Munch(1895)







































