Morning 1884

Curator: Today we’re looking at Edvard Munch’s “Morning,” an oil painting from 1884. The scene is of a woman seated on a bed gazing toward the light. I find the atmosphere rather contemplative; there's almost a hush to it. What captures your attention? Editor: I immediately notice the use of light; it seems to diffuse and soften the edges of everything. The texture seems quite thick. Given your expertise, how do you interpret Munch's emphasis on these specific formal qualities within the context of this work? Curator: A close inspection reveals a tension between the representational and the abstract. The figure, while clearly defined, dissolves into the background through a shared palette of blues, creams, and browns. The brushwork isn't trying to capture detail; rather, it suggests form. Do you see how the horizontal lines of the bed frame echo the lines of the window? This creates a visual rhyme throughout the composition. Editor: Yes, I see that now! So, the visual rhymes and the blending of form are part of what creates that contemplative feeling? Curator: Precisely. We could further deconstruct the color palette and brushstrokes and apply it to, say, semiotics, but consider for now the material relationship that generates a feeling, how the materiality invokes mood, light and atmosphere. The mood it produces can, perhaps, speak for itself. Editor: This really highlights how form itself communicates feeling, and even meaning. Thanks so much. Curator: Indeed, considering the intrinsic components can unveil new layers of appreciation.