Artwork
Horse Team Ploughing
Horse Team Ploughing is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Edvard Munch. It dates from 1919 and is held in the collection of the Munch Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1919, *Horse Team Plowing* is an oil painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The work is part of the Munch Museum’s permanent collection and reflects the post‑impressionist tendencies that marked the later phase of Munch’s career. It presents a quiet rural scene that contrasts with the artist’s more famously angst‑laden subjects.
Subject & Meaning
The composition centers on a pair of horses—a brown animal and a white one—standing side by side in an open field. Their heads are turned slightly toward the viewer, suggesting a moment of pause amid labor. The surrounding landscape, with gentle hills and a pale‑yellow sky, conveys a sense of calm and a harmonious relationship between the animals and their environment.
Technique & Style
Munch employs a loose, expressive brushwork that leaves the texture of the paint visible, allowing colour to pulse across the canvas. Vivid hues—particularly the warm tones of the sky and the contrasting coats of the horses—enhance the immediacy of the scene. The approach aligns with post‑impressionist practices, emphasizing emotional resonance over strict realism.
History & Provenance
Since its completion, the painting has remained in Norway, ultimately entering the collection of the Munch Museum in Oslo. The museum, dedicated to preserving Munch’s legacy, acquired the work as part of its effort to represent the full breadth of the artist’s output, including his less frequently exhibited rural subjects.
Context
Munch’s early life was marked by chronic illness and the mental health struggles of close relatives, experiences that informed his intense psychological focus. While many of his well‑known pieces explore inner turmoil, *Horse Team Plowing* reflects a quieter aspect of his vision, illustrating how personal history can coexist with an appreciation for everyday, pastoral moments.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Edvard Munch ( MUUNK; Norwegian: ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter.
