The Cleveland Museum of Art

Collection Online as of March 22, 2024

Evening, Melancholy I

Evening, Melancholy I

1896
(Norwegian, 1863–1944)
Image: 37.7 x 45 cm (14 13/16 x 17 11/16 in.)
Catalogue raisonné: Not Schiefler 82, unique impression
Location: not on view

Did You Know?

This print is one of only two known impressions printed from the first state of the block before it was cut into two sections.

Description

Evening, Melancholy I depicts the jilted, tormented art critic Jappe Nilssen, Munch's friend, on the shore of Åsgårdstrand, a fishing village south of Oslo. Munch chose heavily grained blocks of wood, allowing the pattern of the board to add texture to the scene, and he exploited the handmade aspect of the technique by carving blocks crudely. He also experimented so that each impression is unique, using black ink on the woodblock and watercolor and gouache to color the sheet extensively. An example of how method can reinforce meaning, the simplified shapes, flattened space, and dark hues create a visual correspondence to the figure's deep depression.
  • ?-1959
    Mrs. Clive Runnels, Houston, TX, given to the Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
    1959-
    Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH
  • Cleveland Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisitions Press Release,” July 20, 1959, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    Cleveland Museum of Art, “Recent Acquisitions Press Release,” July 24, 1959, Cleveland Museum of Art Archives. archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1966. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1966. Reproduced: p. 196 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1969. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1969. Reproduced: p. 196 archive.org
    The Cleveland Museum of Art. Handbook of the Cleveland Museum of Art/1978. Cleveland, OH: The Cleveland Museum of Art, 1978. Reproduced: p. 245 archive.org
  • Munch and Expressionism. Neue Galerie, New York, NY (organizer) (February 18-June 13, 2016).
    Treasures on Paper from the Collection of the Cleveland Museum of Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (March 9-June 8, 2014).
    Nature Sublime: Landscapes from the 19th Century. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 15-November 14, 2004).
    Against the Grain: Woodcuts from the Collection. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (August 17-November 9, 2003).
    Symbolist Prints. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (November 5, 1991-January 12, 1992).
    Contemporary Art. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (September 13, 1960-January 8, 1961).
    The Relief Print. The Cleveland Museum of Art, Cleveland, OH (organizer) (January 5-March 28, 1960).
  • {{cite web|title=Evening, Melancholy I|url=false|author=Edvard Munch|year=1896|access-date=22 March 2024|publisher=Cleveland Museum of Art}}

Source URL:

https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1959.82