Object number1995.20
Måneskinn I–II
Date1896-1902
Artist
Edvard Munch
(Norwegian, 1863-1944)
CultureNorwegian
MediumColor woodcut on Japan paper
DimensionsImage: 15 3/4 x 18 1/2 in. (40 x 47 cm)
Sheet: 19 5/16 x 23 5/8 in. (49 x 60 cm)
Framed: 23 3/4 x 26 3/8 x 1 1/2 in. (60.3 x 67 x 3.8 cm)
Sheet: 19 5/16 x 23 5/8 in. (49 x 60 cm)
Framed: 23 3/4 x 26 3/8 x 1 1/2 in. (60.3 x 67 x 3.8 cm)
Credit LineGift of Philip and Lynn Straus, class of 1946
Period19th c
Classification(s)
SignedSigned (lower right corner in margin, in pencil): E Munch
Catalogue raisonnéWoll 90BibliographyPrelinger, Elizabeth. Edvard Munch: Master Prints. Washington D.C.: The National Gallery of Art, 2010, pp. 93-100 ProvenanceSigurd Host? (on note card in file from donor)Vassar Exhibitions
Exhibition HistoryMastering Light: From the Natural to the Artificial, The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY, April 11 - June 29, 2014;An Era of Opportunity: Three Decades of Acquisitions, The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Poughkeepsie, NY, April 26 - September 8, 2019
Label TextEdvard Munch cut his blocks for Moonlight I–II like a jigsaw puzzle to ink them in sections, which heightened the sense of isolation and abstraction. The visible wood grain suffuses the print with vertical striations that resemble prison bars, further compressing the printed space and highlighting the figure’s apparent confinement. The use of Japan paper, known for its absorbent qualities, enhanced the ethereal, soft, and luminous effects of the nocturnal scene.
DescriptionA full-face bust portrait of a woman dominates the central foreground. In the background, she casts a shadow on the house's plank siding, diagonally opposite the house’s window. In the top right corner, tree branches and leaves cover the house. The side planks and printed wood grain convey a strong sense of verticality.
Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge.
To help improve this record, please email
loebcollections@vassar.edu
