Artwork
Marat in the Bath and Charlotte Corday
Marat in the Bath and Charlotte Corday is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Edvard Munch. It dates from 1930 and is held in the collection of the Munch Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1930, *Marat in the Bath and Charlotte Corday* is an oil painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The work is part of the Munch Museum’s collection and is classified within the post‑impressionist tradition. It presents a nude male figure in a bathtub opposite a clothed woman, employing a vivid palette that heightens the scene’s psychological tension.
Subject & Meaning
The composition references the historical episode of French revolutionary Jean‑Paul Marat’s murder by Charlotte Corday.
The composition references the historical episode of French revolutionary Jean‑Paul Marat’s murder by Charlotte Corday. In the painting, the woman in a black dress and red hat holds a green object, while the man reclines nude in the tub, suggesting the moment of Marat’s fatal injury. The ambiguous setting invites contemplation of mortality, betrayal, and the lingering impact of political violence.
Technique & Style
Munch applies oil with bold, expressive brushwork, allowing colors to clash and blend across the canvas. Dominant yellows, browns, and greens form the background, while the figures stand out in stark contrast. The painter’s handling of light and form emphasizes emotional intensity over realistic detail, a hallmark of his post‑impressionist approach.
History & Provenance
The painting entered the Munch Museum’s holdings shortly after its completion, becoming part of the institution’s core representation of the artist’s later period. It has remained in the museum’s permanent collection, where it is displayed alongside other works that explore similar themes of anxiety and existential dread.
Context
By the 1930s, Munch was revisiting historical subjects through a personal, psychological lens, merging narrative content with his signature exploration of inner states. The choice of Marat and Corday reflects his ongoing interest in figures whose lives were marked by intense emotional conflict, aligning the work with broader modernist concerns about the human condition.
Artist & collection
Artist
Edvard Munch ( MUUNK; Norwegian: ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter.
