Waves Breaking on the Rocks (1916-19)
Edvard Munch is not only known for his dramatic images of angst, jealousy, love and death. Nature was also hugely important to him.
In Munch’s landscapes, you can recognise a certain atmosphere or mood in nature. A nameless feeling – simply of nature’s existence. You might think: yes, that’s exactly what it feels like to be on the beach when the summer breeze is whipping up.
Munch lived a wandering life and lived in many different properties, including a cabin at Åsgårdstrand and a house in Hvitsten. He is especially known for his paintings of the landscape around the Oslo fjord. Again and again he painted the coastline, which became a symbolic border between the solid, familiar world and the ocean’s boundless expanse.
The coast and nature are key themes in Trembling Earth – our new exhibition at MUNCH, open until 25th of August.
Experience Edvard Munch at Oslo Airport
In the international terminal, you can experience an original painting by Edvard Munch. This spring we let the public decide which artwork we should display.
Thousands of votes from all over the world decided that Waves Breaking on the Rocks were the winner. Below you can read more about the two other paintings you could vote for.