Redhaired Girl with White Rat (1886)
Technique: Giclée quality print
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This painting by Edvard Munch, titled "Red-haired Girl with White Rat" (1886), captures a tender and somewhat introspective scene. The artwork features a young girl with striking red hair standing in a subdued indoor setting. Her gaze is directed downwards, seemingly fixated on a small white rat she gently holds in her hands. The girl's expression and posture convey a sense of quiet contemplation or gentle interaction with the creature.Munch's use of brushwork and color palette in this piece contributes significantly to the overall mood. The textures and strokes are rather loose, creating a soft, almost dreamlike quality to the scene. Shades of browns, greys, and muted reds dominate the composition, further enhancing the intimate and reflective atmosphere.The girl is dressed in a simple, long-sleeved dress with a darker vest over it, and her shoes appear practical and sturdy—suggesting a setting that could be typical of the late 19th-century middle class. The background remains indistinct, focusing the viewer’s attention more on the young girl and her small companion, emphasizing their interaction and the emotional content of the scene.This painting is a fine example of Munch’s early work, where he often explored themes of innocence, growth, and human emotion.
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Edvard Munch (12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His best known work, The Scream (1893), has become one of Western art's most iconic images.
His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dread of inheriting a mental condition that ran in the family. Studying at the Royal School of Art and Design in Kristiania (today's Oslo), Munch began to live a bohemian life under the influence of the nihilist Hans Jæger, who urged him to paint his own emotional and psychological state ('soul painting'); from this emerged his distinctive style.