The Dance of Life
1899–1900 · Oil on canvas · National Museum of Norway, Oslo
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About this work
- Artist
- Edvard Munch (1863–1944)
- Year
- 1899–1900
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Original size
- 125.5 × 190.5 cm
- Collection
- National Museum of Norway, Oslo
- Movement
- Symbolism
- Series
- The Frieze of Life
Couples dance on a green meadow by the fjord on a summer night, the moon laying a column of light on the water. In front, a man in black holds a woman in a long red dress, flanked by a young woman in a flowered white gown and an older woman in black. Munch painted it in 1899 and 1900, after a trip to Florence, as the last picture he added to his Frieze of Life, showing woman at different stages of life. Olaf Schou bought it in 1910 and gave it straight to the National Gallery; 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
Grass green, violet sea and red, white and black dresses fill a wide canvas suited to a living room or dining room wall above a sofa or sideboard. Pair it with Friedrich's The Stages of Life at 36×24 in a dark wood frame.
Style, size & framing detail
- Style
- Symbolism painting
- Era
- 19th century (1899–1900)
- Orientation
- Landscape
- Mood
- grand
- Rooms
- living room, dining room
- Good gift for
- housewarming, anniversary, art lovers
Size. We'd hang this one at 36×24. Prints at 18×12, 24×16, 36×24 in — 18×12 for a shelf, desk or a gallery-wall grid; 24×16 above a console or sideboard; 36×24 as the statement piece above a sofa or headboard.
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 The Dance of Life in the public domain?
What is it printed on?
When was The Dance of Life 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.
