Moonlight I 1896

Editor: This is Edvard Munch's "Moonlight I", a print from the Harvard Art Museums. The somber tones and woodgrain give it an almost oppressive feel. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: The woodcut medium is critical here. Look at how the labor-intensive process of carving the woodblock itself becomes part of the visual language, mirroring the rough-hewn architecture and the subject’s somber mood. How might the printmaking process have influenced Munch’s artistic choices here? Editor: So, the physical act of creation is as important as the image itself? I never thought about it like that before. Curator: Precisely. The materiality speaks to the social and economic conditions of art production at the time. Considering that can really open up our understanding. Editor: That’s fascinating! I'll definitely look at art differently now.