Die Sünde

Edvard Munch had an ambivalent relationship to female eroticism. Women in his works are given both an ominous, demonic appearance, as well as one of suffering. This work on paper entitled Sin combines horror conveyed by the woman’s gaze with an attempt by the artist to include erotic appeal. This version of the lithograph was designed as a single-color print, but there exist multi-colored variants where the woman is depicted as having red hair and green eyes. Munch broke new and experimental ground for this time period, not only in painting, but also in printmaking – particularly for lithography and woodcut. Similar to the writers August Strindberg and Gerhart Hauptmann of the time, the great Norwegian Munch was able to transcend outdated conventions and develop new ways of seeing. Especially during his early creative years, the time Munch spent in Paris, Berlin, Denmark, and Norway was marked with dramatic experiences that are reflected in his artistic work.