Moonlight
1893 · Oil on canvas · National Museum of Norway, Oslo
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About this work
- Artist
- Edvard Munch (1863–1944)
- Year
- 1893
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 140.5 × 135 cm
- Collection
- National Museum of Norway, Oslo
- Movement
- Symbolism
- Series
- The Frieze of Life
A woman in a black dress and hat stands square to us before a white picket fence, her pale face lit by the moon, while her dark green shadow rises up the ochre weatherboard wall of the house behind her. The moon itself appears only as a reflection in the white-framed window. Munch probably painted it at Åsgårdstrand in summer 1893, the same summer as The Voice, in a dark palette some have linked to his interest in Arnold Böcklin. The National Gallery bought it in 1938 with funds from Olaf Schou, and it is now in the National Museum of Norway.
This print reproduces the whole work, uncropped, from a high-resolution scan of the original. The original is in the public domain.
Where it works
Black, ochre and moon-white make a still, mysterious portrait for a hallway, landing or study. Pair it with Whistler's Mother, another dark-clad woman seen in quiet profile, at 16×24 in a black frame.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Symbolism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1893)
- Orientation
- Portrait
- Mood
- dramatic, moody
- Rooms
- hallway or entryway, study or library, living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 16×24. Prints at 12×18, 16×24, 24×36 in — 12×18 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 16×24 above a desk, console or in a hallway; 24×36 as the statement piece above a sofa or bed.
Framing. The gallery ground is part of the print, so frame it without a mat — black suits the deep tones of this period; dark wood warms it.
Pairing. Pairs as a set of three with other famous painting prints (10% off three or more).
Details & materials
Shipping & returns
Is this the whole painting, or a crop?
Is Moonlight in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was Moonlight painted, and in what medium?
What size works above a sofa or bed?
About this design
The Madten promise
An exhibition poster
The same artwork as a gallery exhibition poster — title, artist & date typeset beneath the image on a soft ground.
