img672 Edvard Munch (1863-1944)
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Painter: Edvard Munch
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The nude adolescent girl who is embodied in Edvard Munch’s reproduction of "Maturation" has a deep and secret meaning. The girl, perched on a bed located in the corner of the room. The vertical figure and image of the teenage girl is contrasted with the horizontal on the bed. On the left side is the main source of light, which falls on the wall, highlighting the quite sickly thinness of the young girl. Munch, in the process of working on his painting, depicted sitters who were attractive and left a trace of slight vulgarity.
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A description of Edvard Munch’s painting "Maturation"
The nude adolescent girl who is embodied in Edvard Munch’s reproduction of "Maturation" has a deep and secret meaning. The girl, perched on a bed located in the corner of the room. The vertical figure and image of the teenage girl is contrasted with the horizontal on the bed. On the left side is the main source of light, which falls on the wall, highlighting the quite sickly thinness of the young girl.
Munch, in the process of working on his painting, depicted sitters who were attractive and left a trace of slight vulgarity. However, if you look closely at the reproduction, you will notice that there is no depiction of depravity in the painting. Munch depicted the girl in dark colors that symbolize his life and tragic events. The black shadow looming over the girl foreshadows an ominous future, and the uncertainty of maturation, which is of an uncertain nature. One can also explain the shades of colors by the fact that the artist believed that maturation is a complex period and process that can leave a mark on a person’s soul.
The young girl depicted in the picture has acquired sexuality, but in her eyes you can read the fear of an unknown passion. The girl is trying to ward off the unknown, so she has opened her arms.
In the painting "Maturation" Munch managed to combine sexuality and fear and this picture generates many questions and the desire to unravel the hidden meaning. The viewer, just like the girl, impatiently and fearfully wants to experience the sweetness of maturation as soon as possible. The artist leaves the question open, so that each person in his own way to know and understand this process, as for one it may be frightening, but for another - a sweet anticipation. What a person will see in the eyes of this girl is unknown, and it is as much of a mystery as the period of maturation and adolescence. The most important thing is to meet this unknown with dignity.
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Behind her, a large, dark, amorphous shadow looms, dominating the right side of the canvas. This shadow appears to engulf the space behind the woman, creating a stark contrast with her pale form and the lighter pillows on the bed. The background is rendered in broad, textured strokes, with muted greens and browns that contribute to a somber atmosphere.
The subtexts of this painting likely revolve around themes of vulnerability, loneliness, and perhaps the anxieties associated with burgeoning sexuality or a loss of innocence. The stark juxtaposition of the womans fragile form against the oppressive shadow suggests an internal struggle or an external threat, be it psychological or societal. The ambiguous expression on her face invites viewers to project their own interpretations of her emotional state. The setting of a bedroom, typically a private and intimate space, adds to the feeling of exposure and introspection. The overall mood is one of melancholy and unease, characteristic of fin-de-siècle Symbolism or Expressionism, where inner emotional states are prioritized over objective reality.