Munch, Edvard (1863-1944)
Landscape, Kragerø (Landskap, Kragerø)
1912
Oil on canvas, 72.4 x 100.3 cm
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
Munch settled in the small town of Kragerø on the southern coast of his native Norway in 1909. After decades spent in the art capitals of Europe, a nervous breakdown spurred him to seek out a secluded, peaceful existence and “let the molecules settle down after all my inner turmoil.” The artist’s move to Kragerø awakened his interest in landscape painting and stimulated his development of a bright palette and energetic, sweeping brushwork. Here, lively greens, blues, and pinks evoke the transformation of the Norwegian landscape after a long, cold winter. (MET)