Two Nudes

Two Nudes was painted in a period when Munch worked frequently with nude female models. He portrayed women in various poses, sitting, standing and reclining (Woll 2008, M 504-518). Several of the works in this group include clear interiors, others focus almost exclusively on the figure(s). Munch painted nudes throughout his career, and several of his models are discussed in the Munch literature. The National Museum's drawing Kvinneakt (Female Nude) from 1887 is an example of the artist's approach to this genre from early in his career (The National Museum, NG.K&H.B.00161).

A popular theme at the time, female nudes played a central role in modernist painting. Two Nudes has a sensitive, cautious quality. One woman is sitting modestly on a chair, the other is reclining, her head tilted slightly forward. Neither is looking directly at the painter and the viewer. The depiction of the two women differs from his other nudes of the period in terms of its pale palette. The sensitivity is reinforced by a treatment suggestive of watercolour.

Two Nudes was one of seven paintings gifted to the museum by Charlotte and Christian Mustad in 1937. In the National Gallery's catalogues, it has previously been dated to around 1905. Gerd Woll, however, relates it to a number of other nudes that Munch painted in the period 1902--03 (Woll 2008, 543-553). She believes it was included in an exhibition at Cassirer in Hamburg in 1904 (Woll 2008, 551). Woll draws attention to Gustav Schiefler's description of the picture: "die beiden nackten Mädchen (das eine liegend, das andere sitzend)" (Schiefler, 1987--1990, 91). The same two women feature in the painting Blond og mørk aktmodell (Blond and Dark-Haired Nude) (Woll 2008, M 512).

Wenche Volle

The text was first published in Edvard Munch in the National Museum. A comprehensive overview (Oslo: National Museum, 2022).

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