Artwork
Kylpeviä miehiä
Kylpeviä miehiä is an unspecified painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Edvard Munch. It dates from 1913 and is held in the collection of the Finnish National Gallery.
About this work
Overview
Created around 1913, Kylpeviä miehiä is an oil work by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. The composition presents a small group of unclothed male figures positioned near a shoreline, rendered with vigorous, impasto brushwork that emphasizes texture and immediacy.
Subject & Meaning
The scene depicts four nude men, one isolated on the right while three huddle together toward the centre. Their bodies are rendered in a loose, almost frantic manner, suggesting a moment of vulnerability or communal exposure within a natural setting.
Technique & Style
Munch employs thick, uneven layers of paint, allowing bright yellows, blues and greens to clash and merge on the canvas. The heavy impasto creates a tactile surface, while the rapid, gestural strokes convey movement and a sense of emotional turbulence.
Context
The work belongs to Munch’s later period, when he increasingly explored expressive distortion and psychological states through bold colour and texture. The beach setting and the presence of distant, faintly suggested swimmers echo his ongoing interest in the relationship between humanity and nature.
History & Provenance
Recorded as a circa 1913 piece, Kylpeviä miehiä has remained within the catalogues of Munch’s oeuvre, though specific ownership details are limited. Its attribution to Munch is supported by stylistic parallels to other works from the same decade.
Artist & collection
Artist
Edvard Munch ( MUUNK; Norwegian: ; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter.
