Starry Night
About the painting
This night landscape represents the coastline at Åsgårdstrand, a small beach resort south of Oslo in Norway, where Edvard Munch spent his summers from the 1880s onward. Here Munch tried to capture the emotions called forth by the night rather than to record its picturesque qualities. The color blue conveys the mysticism and melancholy of the landscape, which seems full of premonitions. An abstract mound at the right represents a clump of trees; a white fence runs diagonally in front. The vaguely defined shape on the fence may be a shadow of two lovers, a recurring theme in Munch's work. He used an undulating line to depict the shoreline that continues into the trees at the right. Stars reflect in the water, and a flash of light in the trees shines brightly. Varying thicknesses of blue and green paint are blended together to form the impression of a night sky. Some areas are thickly painted, while others are left bare to convey the lighter segments of the sky or a celestial phenomenon.
J. Paul Getty Museum
Particulars
Meanwhile, in the life of Edvard Munch
The whole life1892
The Berlin Circle: Strindberg and Przybyszewski
He immersed himself in the life of Berlin's artistic "underground," growing close to August Strindberg, Stanisław Przybyszewski, and Dagny Juel, who became his muse.
November 1892
"The Munch Affair": Scandal in Berlin
At the invitation of Adelsteen Normann he exhibited at the Union of Berlin Artists; the show provoked fierce controversy and was closed within a week. The conflict led to a split in the Union and the formation of the Berlin Secession.
December 1893
The "Love" Exhibition: Beginning of "The Frieze of Life"
At an exhibition on Unter den Linden he showed, among other works, six paintings under the title "Studies for a Series: Love" — the beginning of the cycle later named "The Frieze of Life — a Poem about Life, Love and Death."
1894
Turn to Copper Engraving
He began engraving on copper on his own, without formal training, working in etching, drypoint, and aquatint, and created many masterpieces in the medium.
