''Melancholy'' (Norwegian: ''Melankoli''; also known as ''Jappe on the Beach'', ''Jealousy'' or ''Evening'') is a painting by the Norwegian artist

Edvard Munch Edvard Munch ( ; ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter. His 1893 work ''The Scream'' has become one of Western art's most acclaimed images. His childhood was overshadowed by illness, bereavement and the dread of inher ...

. Munch painted multiple variant versions of the

expressionist Expressionism is a modernist movement, initially in poetry and painting, originating in Northern Europe around the beginning of the 20th century. Its typical trait is to present the world solely from a subjective perspective, distorting it rad ...

work in oil on

canvas Canvas is an extremely durable Plain weave, plain-woven Cloth, fabric used for making sails, tents, Tent#Marquees and larger tents, marquees, backpacks, Shelter (building), shelters, as a Support (art), support for oil painting and for other ite ...

during the period 1891–1893. The painting depicts a man with his head resting in his hand in a pensive mood at the edge of a shoreline. The inspiration for the painting was an unhappy romantic affair that Munch's friend, Jappe Nilssen, was involved in. In Munch's painting the figure of the melancholy man is at the right, and his mood is represented by the undulating shoreline and skylines that extend toward the left. Critics suggest that there are also erotic allusions, perhaps in the presence of the Moon reflected on the water. The landscape represents

Åsgårdstrand Åsgårdstrand (historically spelled ''Aasgaardstrand'') is a small port List of towns and cities in Norway, town in both Horten Municipality, Horten and Tønsberg Municipality, Tønsberg municipalities in Vestfold county, Norway. The town is loc ...

's beach where Munch spent his summers from 1889. ''Melancholy'' was exhibited in 1891 at the Autumn Exhibition in Oslo.Eggum, Arne (1984). ''Edvard Munch: Paintings, sketches, and studies''. Crown. p. 75. . The artist and journalist

Christian Krohg Christian Krohg (13 August 1852 – 16 October 1925) was a Norwegian naturalist painter, illustrator, author and journalist. Krohg was inspired by the realism art movement and often chose motifs from everyday life. He was the director and s ...

credited it as the first

Symbolist Symbolism or symbolist may refer to: *Symbol, any object or sign that represents an idea Arts *Artistic symbol, an element of a literary, visual, or other work of art that represents an idea ** Color symbolism, the use of colors within various c ...

painting by a Norwegian artist. Munch painted more than one version of the composition in 1891.Eggum, Arne (1984) ''Edvard Munch: Paintings, sketches, and studies''. Crown. pp. 74–75. . A version completed in 1892–93 is in the

National Gallery, Oslo The National Gallery () is a gallery in Oslo, Norway. Since 2003 it is administratively a part of the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design. History It was established in 1842 following a parliamentary decision from 1836. Originally loc ...

.Lombardi, Laura (2009). ''From Realism To Art Nouveau''. New York, NY: Sterling Pub.

Other versions

File:Edvard Munch - Evening. Melancholy (1891).jpg, ''Evening. Melancholy'', 1891.

Oil An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) and lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturate ...

pencil A pencil () is a writing or drawing implement with a solid pigment core in a protective casing that reduces the risk of core breakage and keeps it from marking the user's hand. Pencils create marks by physical abrasion, leaving a trail of ...

and

crayon A crayon (or wax pastel) is a stick of pigmented wax used for writing or drawing. Wax crayons differ from pastels, in which the pigment is mixed with a dry binder (material), binder such as gum arabic, and from oil pastels, where the binder is a ...

on canvas. 73 × 101 cm.

Munch Museum Munch Museum (), marketed as Munch (stylised in all caps) since 2020, is an art museum in Bjørvika, Oslo, Norway dedicated to the life and works of the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The museum was originally located at Tøyen, which was opene ...

, Oslo File:Munch Melankoli 1892.jpg, ''Melancholy'', 1892. Oil on canvas. 64 x 96 cm.

National Gallery The National Gallery is an art museum in Trafalgar Square in the City of Westminster, in Central London, England. Founded in 1824, it houses a collection of more than 2,300 paintings dating from the mid-13th century to 1900. The current di ...

, Oslo File:Edvard Munch - Melancholy (1893).jpg, ''Melancholy'', 1893. Oil on canvas. 86 × 129 cm. Munch Museum, Oslo File:Edvard Munch - Melancholy (1894-96).jpg, ''Melancholy'', 1894–1896. Oil on canvas. 81 × 100.5 cm. Bergen Kunstmuseum, Bergen File:Edvard Munch - Evening. Melancholy I - Google Art Project.jpg, ''Evening. Melancholy I'', 1896.

Woodcut Woodcut is a relief printing technique in printmaking. An artist carves an image into the surface of a block of wood—typically with gouges—leaving the printing parts level with the surface while removing the non-printing parts. Areas that ...

. 41.1 × 55.7 cm. Munch Museum, Oslo File:'Evening, Melancholy I' by Edvard Munch, woodcut, 1896.jpg, ''Evening. Melancholy I'', 1896. Woodcut. 37.2 × 45.2 cm

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melancholy Paintings by Edvard Munch 1891 paintings Paintings in the National Gallery (Norway) Ships in art

Other versions

See also

References