Landscape. Maridalen by Oslo 1881

Edvard Munch created this oil painting, "Landscape. Maridalen by Oslo," capturing a serene countryside scene. Note the fence that diagonally bisects the foreground, a humble structure yet deeply symbolic. Fences have appeared throughout art history. Often these barriers are literal ones, used for livestock or ownership boundaries, such as the enclosures in 18th-century English landscapes. But here, the fence can suggest an emotional or psychological boundary, a sense of separation or longing. Reflect upon Caspar David Friedrich’s "Woman in Front of the Rising Sun," from 1818, where the figure stands at a border, contemplating what lies beyond. Munch frequently explored themes of isolation and existential angst. The fence in the foreground represents a border between the viewer and the peace of the Norwegian landscape. Just like the figures in Romantic paintings, our experience of nature is mediated, not direct, influenced by centuries of cultural conditioning.