Edvard Munch, Madonna
1894Paintings sorted by Historical period | Painter | Subject matter | Pigments used
Overview
Date: 1894
Medium: oil
Support: canvas
Size: 90 x 68.5 cm
Art movement: Expressionism
‘Madonna’ in Munch Museum in Oslo is one of the five versions of this subject painted by Munch. Its symbolic content has been subject to many discussions among scholars.
The pigment analysis by British and Norwegian scientists revealed a rich palette consisting of chrome yellow, Prussian blue, yellow ochre, charcoal black, artificial ultramarine, and vermilion.
Pigments
Pigment Analysis
This pigment analysis is based on the work of British and Norwegian scientists (1).
1 Flesh paint, upper torso: zinc white, vermilion, charcoal black, yellow ochre, and a trace of lead white.
2 Dark blue hair: zinc white, Prussian blue, artificial ultramarine, chrome yellow, vermilion, an unidentified copper pigment, trace of lead white, and possibly some yellow lake.
3 Green-brownish part of the figure: zinc white, chalk, charcoal black, yellow ochre, and a trace of lead white.
4 Exposed ground, lower left edge: lower layer consists of lead white in linseed oil and pine resin, the upper layer contains chalk and animal glue.
5 Blue, right side: zinc white, chalk, charcoal black, chrome yellow, Prussian blue, vermilion, and artificial ultramarine
6 Brown-reddish background: zinc white, lead white, vermilion, and brownish-red sienna or ochre and yellow ochre.
References
(1) Brian Singer, Trond Aslaksby, Biljana Topalova-Casadiego and Eva Storevik Tveit, Investigation of Materials Used by Edvard Munch, Studies in Conservation 55, 2010, pp. 274-292.
Pigments Used in This Painting
Resources
Videos
Video: 'Edvard Munch, A collection of 1640 works' by LearnFromMasters
Video: 'Edvard Munch, The Life of an Artist' by Artists in the School
Publications and Websites
Publications
Brian Singer, Trond Aslaksby, Biljana Topalova-Casadiego and Eva Storevik Tveit, Investigation of Materials Used by Edvard Munch, Studies in Conservation 55, 2010, pp. 274-292.
Johan H. Langaard and Sigurd Willoch, Edvard Munch, Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1965. Available online and as pdf.
Cornelia Gerner, Die “Madonna” in Edvard Munchs Werk – Frauenbilder und Frauenbild im ausgehenden 19. Jahrhundert Knut Brynhildsvoll, Literaturverlag Norden Mark Reinhard, Morsbach, 1993.
Plahter, Unn. “Munch’s Paintings: Scientific Research Both Recent and in Retrospect.” Public paintings by Edvard Munch and his contemporaries – change and conservation challenges, Archeype Publications (2015): 3–35.
