Woman (The Sphinx) - Edvard Munch

Clarence Buckingham Collection

"Woman (The Sphinx)" by Edvard Munch (1899) Lithograph on paper.

Commentary

"Woman (The Sphinx)" by Edvard Munch (1899) invites a close look at how form and feeling work together. The print-based method rewards close viewing, where line, texture, and contrast do most of the expressive work. T hemes to notice include lithograph. This piece is held in the source collection's Prints and Drawings collection. Edvard Munch is the artist behind this work. A useful anchor for reading the piece: Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863-1944) printed by Petersen and Waitz. The work is cataloged within a Norway cultural context. How to look at this work: It is cataloged as lithograph, which gives a clue to how the museum frames the object. Its medium (Lithograph on paper) affects texture, durability, and how detail reads at different distances. Its listed dimensions (Image: 46.1 × 59.3 cm (18 3/16 × 23 3/8 in.); Sheet: 49.4 × 64.5 cm (19 1/2 × 25 7/16 in.)) suggest how intimate or monumental it may feel in person. Subject cues from the catalog include lithograph. Compare this reading with the museum record at the source collection: https://www.artic.edu/artworks/17261

Sources: Art Institute of Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago / Public Records; Art Institute of Chicago Collection Data