Edvard Munch’s “Early Morning” | Guided Tour of the Rasmus Meyer Collections

The two kitsch painters Jan-Ove Tuv and Sebastian Salvo visit Rasmus Meyer Collections in Bergen to study and analyze in great detail Edvard Munch’s painting “Early Morning”.

We are taught that Munch was a modernist, but in his youth he seems to have been heavily influenced by Rembrandt – in this case Louvre’s Bathsheba. But young Munch is a highly intelligent “copyist” – he emulates Rembrandt’s general approach instead of making a literal copy.

It has been said that Munch’s early work was conventional figurative painting of the late 19th century, but “Early Morning” gives you the shock of seeing the worn-out technique of late Rembrandt and Titian mastered by a 21-year old.

Munch achieves volume and contrast through the diversity of paint application and juxtaposing warm and cool colors rather than strongly contrasting light and darkness. He gives the figures an “aura”, a sense of potential movement. Unimportant parts are out of focus, but still credibly rendered.

Munch has actualized in this painting the Greek definition of “character” derived from “kharássõ” meaning “to sharpen, cut in furrows or engrave”. The representation of this woman is not just an impression but it has been carved through many layers to imitate life in it’s complexity, richness and voluptuousness.

▶️ Full video (2 hours 16 minutes): https://www.patreon.com/posts/131732316
🎵 Full audio: https://caveofapelles.com/podcast