Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863-1944) Vampire II (Vampyr II) Lithograph printed...
Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863-1944)
Vampire II (Vampyr II) (Woll 41; Schiefler 34)
Lithograph printed in black and woodcut printed in green, blue and yellow, 1895-1902, a fine impression of Woll's sixth state (of ten), on Strathmore Japan paper, signed in pencil, printed by M.W. Lassally, Berlin, with wide margins, framed
Image 387 x 555mm (15 1/4 x 21 7/8in)
Sheet 477 x 624mm (18 7/8 x 24 5/8in)
Footnotes
Originally called Love and Pain, it was Munch's friend, the Polish poet and essayist Stanisław Przybyszewski, who had a strong interest in mysticism and the occult, who gave the piece its current title.
The original title would suggest that the woman seeks to comfort her distressed lover with a kiss and embrace, whereas the later given title provides a different context where the woman is a seductress who is about to bite her subdued conquest's neck. Whichever point of view the observer takes, the image presents the suffering which inevitably comes with love.
This is one of the most important subjects for Munch which he explored in ten different versions, both in painting, drawing and print form and was included in his Frieze of Life works, which explored the themes of love, anxiety and death. Early versions were printed in black and white and Munch experimented with various colour combinations.
Munch displays his technical virtuosity using a combination of printing techniques. Vampire II is printed with two lithographic stones, illustrating the main image and the woman's hair, and a sawn woodblock inked for printing the different colours. To print swiftly rather than having to ink and print different matrices in succession, Munch used a fretsaw to divide his woodblocks into sections which could be inked separately and then joined to print one image. His prints produced in this manner are known as jigsaw colour woodcuts.
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Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863-1944)
Vampire II (Vampyr II) (Woll 41; Schiefler 34)
Lithograph printed in black and woodcut printed in green, blue and yellow, 1895-1902, a fine impression of Woll's sixth state (of ten), on Strathmore Japan paper, signed in pencil, printed by M.W. Lassally, Berlin, with wide margins, framed
Image 387 x 555mm (15 1/4 x 21 7/8in)
Sheet 477 x 624mm (18 7/8 x 24 5/8in)
Footnotes
Originally called Love and Pain, it was Munch's friend, the Polish poet and essayist Stanisław Przybyszewski, who had a strong interest in mysticism and the occult, who gave the piece its current title.
The original title would suggest that the woman seeks to comfort her distressed lover with a kiss and embrace, whereas the later given title provides a different context where the woman is a seductress who is about to bite her subdued conquest's neck. Whichever point of view the observer takes, the image presents the suffering which inevitably comes with love.
This is one of the most important subjects for Munch which he explored in ten different versions, both in painting, drawing and print form and was included in his Frieze of Life works, which explored the themes of love, anxiety and death. Early versions were printed in black and white and Munch experimented with various colour combinations.
Munch displays his technical virtuosity using a combination of printing techniques. Vampire II is printed with two lithographic stones, illustrating the main image and the woman's hair, and a sawn woodblock inked for printing the different colours. To print swiftly rather than having to ink and print different matrices in succession, Munch used a fretsaw to divide his woodblocks into sections which could be inked separately and then joined to print one image. His prints produced in this manner are known as jigsaw colour woodcuts.
Estimate
Time, Location
Auction House
