Artwork
Puberty
Puberty is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Edvard Munch. It dates from 1914 and is held in the collection of the Munch Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1914, *Puberty* is an oil painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The work belongs to the period after Impressionism, when Munch was developing a highly expressive visual language. It is part of the permanent collection of the Munch Museum in Oslo, where it is displayed alongside other late works by the painter.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas presents a nude adolescent girl standing centrally, her posture upright and arms at her sides. The figure is rendered with a calm, almost detached demeanor, while the surrounding environment suggests the turbulence of bodily change. The title and composition together allude to the psychological and physical uncertainties that accompany the onset of puberty.
Technique & Style
Munch applied the oil paint in thick, uneven layers that give the surface a tactile quality reminiscent of impasto. The background is rendered with swirling, luminous hues of pink, blue and yellow, contrasting with the smoother, more subdued skin tones of the central figure. This juxtaposition of rough, expressive brushwork and smoother modeling underscores the emotional tension of the scene.
History & Provenance
After completing the painting, Munch retained *Puberty* within his personal estate. It entered the collection of the Munch Museum, the institution dedicated to preserving the artist’s oeuvre, where it remains part of the museum’s holdings. The work has been cited in scholarly discussions of Munch’s later period and his exploration of adolescent experience.
Artist & collection
Artist
Edvard Munch ( MUUNK; Norwegian: ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter.
