Edvard MunchNorwegian, 1863–1944The Sick Child I
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Art Institute of Chicago
Chicago, United States
It belongs to the collection, but is not on display at present.
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- The museum
About the work
When Edvard Munch was thirteen years old, his sister Sophie died of tuberculosis. Nine years later, he created the first of five painted versions of The Sick Child, all representing Sophie just prior to her death. Munch later described the process of painting these works as a form of technical and personal catharsis.
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Due to the great success of the paintings and his own psychological preoccupations, in 1894–96 Munch made three prints based on the motif, of which The Sick Child I was the last. In 1896 the artist traveled to Paris to experiment with new print-making processes and work with respected printers such as Auguste Clot, hoping to gain the commercial success that had previously eluded him in the French capital. There he made this, his first color lithograph, which features Sophie’s head silhouetted against a pillow. Munch printed the lithograph with several different stones and a variety of color combinations: he made the keystone either black or red and added up to four other color stones in combinations of blue, gray, red, yellow, reddish brown, and purple-blue. Munch was keenly aware of the symbolic associations of various colors, and the icy blue and stark black of this impression suggest the haunting pallor of death.
Art Institute of ChicagoCC BY 4.0
Particulars
- Accession number
- 2003.1
What it shows
In the catalog
Sources
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image: Art Institute of Chicago — CC0
Meanwhile, in the life of Edvard Munch
The whole life1894
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.
1896
Meetings with Gauguin and the Symbolists in Paris
During an important stay in Paris he met Gauguin, Émile Bernard, Maurice Denis, and Symbolist poets, notably Mallarmé. At this time he turned to etching, woodcut, and lithography.
May 1896
Exhibition at the Maison de l'Art Nouveau
Siegfried Bing showed 60 of Munch's works, including "The Kiss," "The Scream," "Madonna," and "The Sick Child." The exhibition introduced the French public to the artist's work.
1898
Beginning of the Affair with Tulla Larsen
An affair began with Tulla (Mathilde) Larsen, a wealthy young Norwegian woman. Initially warm, the relationship in time began to weigh on Munch because of Tulla's ardor and possessiveness.
