Painting

Self-Portrait

Artist: Edvard Munch
Creation date: (1886)

About

In the course of his long life, Munch painted a number of self-portraits. We can follow him through many of life’s vicissitudes, from a young and decadent artist to an elderly, sick man staring death in the face. (See p. 75.) These pictures afford us intimate insights into the artist’s life.

It is the arrogant and self-assured Bohemian we meet in this selfportrait from 1886. The artist was 22 years old at the time and at an early stage in his career. But despite his youthfulness, he was already being noticed among artistic circles in his home country.

The portrait shows us the radical ways in which Munch’s painting was developing in these years. Here he has used surface scratching, and the face seems enveloped in haze. This was a technique he also used in his most famous painting of the 1880s, The Sick Child from 1885–86. Later he would change his painting style in favour of a more flowing brushstroke.

The portrait was purchased by the National Gallery in 1938 with funds provided by Olaf Schou. Formerly it was owned by the lawyer Harald Nørregaard, who was married to the painter Aase Nørregaard, a close friend of Munch.

Edvard Munch bestandskatalog
Illuminated by a light source beyond the frame, the face emerges from surrounding darkness. The head is portrayed in three-quarter profile, relatively close to the picture plane and slightly offset to the left, leaving an open space in front of the face. The subtle variation in tones and the intensity of the subject's gaze, pointed slightly downwards, indicate a studious attitude. The young artist presents himself in an inquisitive yet ambitious pose. The work bears resemblances to self-portraits by famous artists, including some by Rembrandt, Francisco Goya, Gustav Courbet and Christian Krohg. Works by the latter two painters in particular may well have served as prototypes.

Munch painted self-portraits throughout his career. This is one of four in the National Museum's collection (The National Museum, NG.M. NG.M.00470, NG.M.01229, NG.M.01867). In its colour scheme and painterly execution, the work strives to be true to nature, but there is also an emphasis on distinctive qualities and a clear subjectivity of approach. The diffuseness of form suggests an orientation that is reaching beyond the realism of the 1880s.

This work is Munch's only signed self-portrait from the 1880s. There is no date marking, but in the literature it has consistently been ascribed to 1886. In terms of technique, it has similarities with several paintings from the period 1885--86, e.g. its use of multiple layers of paint, in some places thickly applied with the palette knife, in others heavily diluted. Scratching and other surface abrasions produce an impression of coarse materiality that links the portrait to The Sick Child (The National Museum, NG.M.00839). The work was probably gifted to Aasta Carlsen (1869--1908), later to Aase Nørregaard, a close friend from the 1880s (The National Museum, NG.M.01739, NG.M.01794). It was in the possession of the Nørregaard family until 1938, when it was bought for the National Gallery with financial help from the Olaf Schou endowment fund.

Øystein Ustvedt

The text was first published in Edvard Munch in the National Museum. A comprehensive overview (Oslo: National Museum, 2022).
Creation date:
(1886)
Other titles:
Selvportrett (NOR)
Object type:
Painting
Materials and techniques:
Olje på lerret
Material:
Canvas
Dimensions:
Height: 33 cm
Width: 24.5 cm
Depth: 2 cm
Keywords:
Visual art
Classification:
532 - Bildende kunst
Motif - type:
Self portrait, Portrait
Motif - person:
Munch, Edvard (depicted person)
Inventory no.:
NG.M.01915
Cataloguing level:
Single object
Inscriptions:
Primary, Inscription, nede høyre: E. Munch
Acquisition:
Kjøpt for Olaf Schous gave 1938
Provenance:
[40] Previous owner, Aase Nørregaard
[40] Previous owner, Harald Nørregaard
Owner and collection:
Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections
Photo:
Børre Høstland/Høstland, Børre
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