Artwork
The Coffin is Carried Out
The Coffin is Carried Out is an oil painting by Edvard Munch. It dates from 1900 and is held in the collection of the Munch Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1900, *The Coffin is Carried Out* is an oil painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The work belongs to the period when Munch was exploring intense emotional subjects, and it is part of the collection of the Munch Museum in Oslo.
Subject & Meaning
The canvas shows a funeral procession emerging from a bright yellow house. Figures in dark clothing surround a closed coffin, their faces hidden in shadow, conveying a quiet, collective grief. The contrast between the luminous building and the somber mourners underscores themes of loss and the inevitability of death.
Technique & Style
Munch employs a restrained palette of muted tones against the vivid yellow of the house, using chiaroscuro to model the figures and heighten the sense of melancholy. The brushwork is expressive yet controlled, reflecting his aim to render inner psychological states rather than precise detail.
History & Provenance
Munch produced the painting after his studies at the Royal School of Art and Design in Oslo and under the influence of contemporary nihilist thought, particularly the ideas of Hans Jæger. Since its creation, the work has remained in Norway, ultimately entering the permanent collection of the Munch Museum.
Context
The piece emerges from a period marked by personal tragedy in Munch’s life, including childhood illness and the early loss of family members. These experiences informed his preoccupation with mortality, a motif that recurs throughout his early twentieth‑century oeuvre.
Artist & collection
Artist
Edvard Munch ( MUUNK; Norwegian: ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter.
