Scene of Ibsen’s ‘Ghosts’ (1906)
Technique: Giclée quality print
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This painting by Edvard Munch, titled "Scene of Ibsen’s ‘Ghosts’," captures an evocative moment from Henrik Ibsen's famous play. The setting is a dimly lit, somewhat claustrophobic room that reflects the emotional tension and thematic elements of secrecy and moral ambiguity present in the play. The room features simple, yet expressive furniture including a daybed, a round table, a few chairs, and hints of decorative elements on the walls and windows.The painting is inhabited by three figures, likely representing characters from the play, each depicted in Munch’s distinctive, fluid style. The characters are clothed in dark, muted colors, which may symbolize their complex, shadowed personalities and the burdens they carry. Their postures and the direction of their gaze suggest an intense and possibly strained interaction, embodying the play’s exploration of difficult truths and inherited sins.The mood of the scene is further enhanced by Munch's use of somber tones and a restrained color palette, conveying the psychological and emotional weight of the play’s themes. The brushwork is loose and expressive, typical of Munch’s style, which adds to the overall feeling of unrest and unease that is critical to both the painting and the play it represents.
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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.