Summer Night. Mermaid (1893)
Technique: Giclée quality print
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Edvard Munch's "Summer Night. Mermaid" is a painting that carries a dreamlike and almost mystical quality, encapsulated in the figure of a mermaid and the ethereal seaside setting. In the image, the focal point is a mermaid seated on a rock at night. Her expression is contemplative and serene, and she gazes outward, perhaps lost in thought or observing the distant sea.The backdrop features a deep blue sea under a night sky, adding to the nocturnal and mysterious mood of the piece. Soft yellows and pale hints of light seem to emanate from the sea and sky, perhaps depicting moonlight or a natural, otherworldly glow characteristic of the enchanting scene.What’s particularly notable about the painting is Munch’s use of color and brush stroke. The rocks on which the mermaid sits are rendered in a mix of earth tones and whites, using broad, sweeping strokes that confer a robust, tangible feel to the otherwise ethereal scene. The water around the rocks is depicted with lighter brushstrokes, suggesting gentle movement.To the right, there are other figures in the water; they appear to be smaller, ghost-like representations of the mermaid, possibly echoing her connection to the mystical and the maritime environment around her.
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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.