Artwork

The Human Mountain: Middle Part

The Human Mountain: Middle Part, by Edvard Munch, charcoal, 1926
The Human Mountain: Middle Part, by Edvard Munch, charcoal, 1926

The Human Mountain: Middle Part is a charcoal painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Edvard Munch. It dates from 1926 and is held in the collection of the Munch Museum.

About this work

If you're interested in learning more about Edvard Munch's work, you can check out the Munch Museum, which holds many of his paintings.

This painting, The Human Mountain: Middle Part, is a nude artwork created by Edvard Munch in 1926. It's an oil painting held at the Munch Museum. The image shows a large piece of paper with a rough sketch of a mountain of people. The people are drawn in various poses, some standing, some sitting, and others lying down. The sketch is done in different colors, including blue, green, yellow, and red.

The painting is quite large and takes up most of the paper. The people in the sketch are not very detailed, but you can tell that they are all different. Some have their arms around each other, while others are reaching up towards the top of the mountain.

If you're interested in learning more about Edvard Munch's work, you can check out the Munch Museum, which holds many of his paintings.

Overview

The Human Mountain: Middle Part is a 1926 oil painting by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, characterized by a large-scale, expressive depiction of a mountain composed of numerous human figures in varied poses.

Subject & Meaning

The painting represents a dense, multitudinous human form, with individuals shown standing, sitting, or lying down, and some embracing or reaching upwards, conveying a sense of collective emotional and physical entanglement.

Technique & Style

Executed in oil paint on a large paper, the work features a rough, expressive sketch quality, with a vibrant, multi-colored palette (including blue, green, yellow, and red), aligning with Munch's post-impressionist emphasis on emotional expression over detailed realism.

History & Provenance

Created in 1926 by Edvard Munch, the painting is part of the permanent collection at the Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway.

Context

Reflecting Munch's lifelong exploration of psychological depth and human experience, The Human Mountain: Middle Part resonates with the artist's background of personal loss and his post-impressionist style, which prioritized emotional intensity.

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

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