img716 Edvard Munch (1863-1944)

Description of Edvard Munch’s painting Self-Portrait with a Bottle of Wine

Here’s Munch in front of us. Yes, yes. This is the same artist who depicted "The Scream" for us, which has become the most frequently stolen masterpiece and no amount of security can keep this canvas within any museum walls, even in a safe. "The Scream" has been stolen anywhere and everywhere and even forged and only thanks to the vigilance of experts in time found the forgery and saved the original.

On the canvas is the same Munch. Take a closer look at him, he looks somber and is probably waiting for his lunch. Somewhere in the distance there are waiters who are taking their time serving him, and he’s waiting. And someone else is also sitting in a corner, waiting for his order to be taken, too.

Munch did not portray himself as frowning, but rather as tired. He had spent too long and too much time establishing himself as the artist everyone was talking about. He was talked about, but it was because of the scandals surrounding his paintings. The same "Scream" outraged some critics and they foaming at the mouth that he did not belong at the Academy of Fine Arts, but he did not particularly sought it.

He basically just wanted one thing - recognition of his creative ability and the opportunity to earn on this money for the family. In principle, normal aspirations. But as a sin, the public didn’t care much, and it often listened to the opinion of critics, which didn’t please artists, including Munch.

The self-portrait was superficial. He only marked the features of his face and did not paint much detail. The main thing in this self-portrait of the eyes and hands. The latter are folded in his lap and slightly clenched. This is not despair, this is patience. He is patiently waiting for dinner to be served; he has already drunk the wine.

The background is also quite sketchy: rows of tables with white tablecloths, colorful walls and windows. And the faces of the figures in the background are not visible at all. So, concentrating all attention on himself, he didn’t paint the surroundings in detail. And this is perhaps the most accurate and faithful self-portrait of the artist.