Artwork
Ploughed Field
Ploughed Field is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Edvard Munch. It dates from 1916 and is held in the collection of the Munch Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1916, *Ploughed Field* is an oil painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The work presents a tranquil rural scene, foregrounded by a furrowed field rendered in muted earth tones, while distant trees and hills recede into softened atmospheric perspective. The composition invites quiet observation, emphasizing the landscape’s subtle tonal variations.
Subject & Meaning
The painting focuses on an agricultural field, its ploughed rows suggesting both the physical labor of cultivation and a rhythmic movement across the surface. The gentle interplay of light and shadow across the furrows conveys a sense of calm, encouraging contemplation of the natural environment as a space for inner reflection rather than a literal depiction.
Technique & Style
This approach reflects his shift from earlier Symbolist tendencies toward a more direct, yet still expressive, post‑Impressionist treatment of landscape.
Munch employs visible brushwork to build texture, allowing the oil medium to convey the tactile quality of the soil. The palette is restrained, dominated by browns and muted greens, while the handling of light creates depth without strict realism. This approach reflects his shift from earlier Symbolist tendencies toward a more direct, yet still expressive, post‑Impressionist treatment of landscape.
History & Provenance
*Ploughed Field* has been part of the collection of the Munch Museum in Oslo since its acquisition, where it remains on display. The work belongs to a series of landscape paintings Munch produced during the mid‑1910s, a period marked by his continued investigation of mood and atmosphere through natural subjects.
Context
The painting emerges from a phase in Munch’s career when he was expanding his visual language beyond the intense psychological portraits of his earlier oeuvre. While retaining his preoccupation with inner experience, he turned to the countryside as a vehicle for exploring universal feelings of peace and contemplation, aligning with broader post‑Impressionist trends toward expressive color and form.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Edvard Munch ( MUUNK; Norwegian: ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter.
