Man in the Cabbage Field

Narrator: 

By the start of the twentieth century, Edvard Munch had established himself as a well-known artist. At the same time, he was leading a nomadic life in Europe’s major cities, drinking too much and in a state of constant anxiety.  

After a seven-day bender in Copenhagen, and nearing a state of total collapse, he admitted himself to Dr. Jacobsen’s clinic.  

Munch realized that he had to change his lifestyle. He cut out intoxicating substances for a while and in 1909, he returned to Norway for good.  

After spending time living at various properties by the Oslo fjord, he bought a large estate at Ekely, on the outskirts of Oslo city. Here, among fertile fields and orchards, Munch settled down, and his surroundings inspired him to create new works of art.  

He was living close to nature and using outbuildings as studios. Man in the Cabbage Field is one of the first paintings that he completed in his new home.  

With its powerful brushstrokes and intense colours, this painting is a celebration of the self-sufficient, hardworking farmer— a figure that inspired both respect and fascination from Munch.