Desire
- Original dimensions
- 140.5 x 85.5 cm
- Museum
- Munch Museum
- Year
- 1907
Scene depicted
In this canvas , Munch depicts a couple engrossed in a passionate embrace, emanating both love and despair. The figures, with a palpable emotional intensity, blend with a vibrant background, a dance of colors that evokes the turmoil of the human soul, oscillating between passion and anguish.
Historical context
From a remarkable creation in 1907, in Oslo, the painting "Desire" is part of the Symbolist movement, reflecting a time when emotion and human psychology took center stage. This canvas emblematic currently resides in the Munch Museum, a sanctuary dedicated to the master's work, where it continues to attract an audience eager for art and sensitivity.
Place in the artist's career
"Desire" represents a pivotal moment in Munch's career, a poignant testimony to his artistic quest. Echoing his famous painting "The Scream" and "The Madonna," this work illustrates his evolution towards more complex and nuanced emotions, placing the individual face to face with their deepest desires.
Anecdote
"Art should not be a reflection of reality, but an emanation of my deepest passions," said Munch. Imagine him, sitting by a lake, the fresh breath of a spring morning filling the air, as a vision of desire and melancholy imposes itself on him, inspiring this powerful pictorial work .
Major exhibitions
Munch og Warnemünde: 1907-1908