Artwork
Jealousy Motif
Jealousy Motif is an oil painting by the Post-Impressionist artist Edvard Munch. It dates from 1920 and is held in the collection of the Munch Museum.
About this work
Overview
Created in 1920, Jealousy Motif is a wax‑crayon work by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. The composition is sketch‑like and appears unfinished, centering on a male figure whose head is turned left. Bold, bright hues and swift lines generate a feeling of tension, while faint red strokes in the background hint at an additional, undefined presence.
Subject & Meaning
The foreground figure dominates the picture, his face rendered in greens and yellows with darker patches on the left side of the head. The title suggests an emotional state of jealousy, and the stark contrast between the vivid foreground and the vague red outlines behind it amplifies a sense of psychological unrest and inner turbulence.
Technique & Style
Munch employed wax crayon to achieve a fluid, gestural quality, allowing the pigment to be applied in quick, energetic strokes. The work reflects his post‑impressionist phase, where colour and line are used to convey feeling rather than precise representation. The unfinished appearance underscores spontaneity, emphasizing the artist’s focus on mood over finished detail.
History & Provenance
The piece belongs to the collection of the Munch Museum in Oslo, where it is displayed among other works from the artist’s later period. It was produced after Munch’s studies at the Royal School of Art and Design in Kristiania and after his association with the radical writer Hans Jæger, influences that informed his exploration of inner emotional states.
Own this work as a print
Artist & collection
Artist
Edvard Munch ( MUUNK; Norwegian:; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter.
