Edvard Munch
Autumn in the Forest

1880
oil on board
4.5 x 7.25 in.
2006.201
Estate of Richard N. Tetlie '43 in honor of Evelyn Ytterboe Tetlie and Joseph Tetlie

In 1880, at just seventeen years old, Edvard Munch painted this landscape of Autumn in the Forest. Within much of his oeuvre, Munch included biological concepts and botanical imagery to metaphorically explain issues of humanity. As a part of Berlin bohemian culture, Munch was frequently exposed to ideas of Vitalism, including a notion that all life forms are connected and animated by a life principle, as well as the growing interest in Symbolist representation. Symbolist representation at this time favored a validity of pure sensibility and expression of an idea over a realistic interpretation of the natural world. Central to both Vitalist and Symbolist thought is the belief in universal spiritual truths that lay beyond and within the tangible world. This way of thinking, quite opposed to the scientific and mechanical approaches also prominent at the time, meant a shift towards a more spiritual approach to creativity and knowledge. This no doubt was impactful on Munch as he kept numerous journals in which he recorded his interest pertaining to biology through sketches, vignettes, prose poems and the like. Examining Munch’s works, both final pieces and studies, the influence of a spiritual understanding of the natural world is quite clear.

Isa Lackey ‘17
Lasting Legacy 2017