The Girl by the Window

Edvard Munch painted The Girl by the Window the same year as The Scream, his most famous painting. Epitomizing modern notions of anxiety, here he used loosely applied, somber brown tones mingled with violets and blues in this unsettling and enigmatic scene, evoking a feeling of melancholy and anticipation.

In the dead of night, a young girl in her nightgown stands in a room gazing out at the city. The steep angle of the floor and the deep shadows that obliterate everything in the room except a suggestion of a piece of furniture at the lower right, create an unsettling and enigmatic scene. The window functions as a symbolic barrier, separating the interior from the outside world. The sense of mystery is deepened and complicated by the fact that we cannot see the expression on the girl’s face, nor do we know what she covertly observes. She in turn appears unaware that, as she gazes from behind the curtain at something unknown outside, the artist and implied viewer are watching her.

A true mystery! See you tomorrow.  : )

P.S. When Munch died in 1944, he left 183 photographs in his house. Have a sneak peek at a painter's private life here!