Artwork

Ingeborg Kaurin

Ingeborg Kaurin, by Edvard Munch, oil, 1912
Ingeborg Kaurin, by Edvard Munch, oil, 1912

Ingeborg Kaurin is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Edvard Munch. It dates from 1912 and is held in the collection of the Munch Museum.

About this work

Overview

Created in 1912, *Ingeborg Kaur2n* is an oil painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The work portrays a seated woman against a vivid green backdrop and is part of the collection of Oslo’s Munch Museum. It exemplifies Munch’s post‑impressionist phase, during which he investigated the inner lives of his sitters through color and form.

Subject & Meaning

The portrait shows Ingeborg Kaurin, a woman dressed in a flowing green gown with a patterned pink‑green top. Her dark hair is pulled back, and she looks straight ahead with a composed, serious expression. The direct gaze and restrained demeanor suggest an emphasis on personal presence, aligning with Munch’s interest in psychological depth.

Technique & Style

Munch employs loose, expressive brushwork that energizes the composition. The background swirls with varying shades of green, interlaced with touches of purple and blue, creating a sense of movement. Bold, contrasting colors and the dynamic handling of paint reflect the post‑impressionist tendency toward emotional resonance over strict realism.

History & Provenance

The painting entered the holdings of the Munch Museum, the principal institution dedicated to the artist’s oeuvre. Since its acquisition, it has been displayed as part of the museum’s representation of Munch’s early twentieth‑century portraiture, illustrating his evolving approach to color and psychological portraiture.

Context

*Ingeborg Kaurin* belongs to a period when Munch was moving beyond the stark symbolism of his earlier works toward a more color‑driven, expressive language. The piece reflects broader post‑impressionist currents in Europe, wherein artists used vivid palettes and gestural strokes to convey inner states, situating Munch within contemporary artistic dialogues of the 1910s.

Artist & collection

Portrait of Edvard Munch

Artist

Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch ( MUUNK; Norwegian: ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter.

Munch Museum

Museum

Munch Museum

Continue through works from the same source collection.

This work is in the public domain (CC0). Image source: Munch Museum open access. Spotted an error in this record? Tell us.