Norwegische Landschaft 1908

Edvard Munch made this Norwegian Landscape using etching, a printmaking process that requires the artist to work with acid. As we can see in this work, Munch, who lived from 1863 to 1944, was a pioneer of expressionism. In the late 19th century, there was renewed interest in ideas of landscape and nationhood across Europe. Munch’s etching exemplifies this focus on place as an idea. Although Norway was under a union with Sweden, it was still developing its own national identity. In this context, landscape imagery became infused with patriotic and cultural meanings. Art historians often explore how socio-political factors might have informed the artist’s work. We might look at the institutional history of art at this time, and study the contemporary critical reception of landscape painting. To fully understand this work, we also need to consider the traditions of Norwegian landscape art and Munch’s position in relation to it.