Art on Death by Edvard Munch

In addition to his most well-known image, The Scream, the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch created a great deal of art pondering life and death. Through the paintings below, he expressed his own grief and experiences with death and the end-of-life, as well as that of mankind as a whole.

By the Deathbed

This painting shares the simple moments of paying our last respects to a loved one who has died.

Death in the Sickroom

This painting portrays Munch alone in the corner of his younger sister’s sickroom. His sister, Johanne Sophie, died of tuberculosis.

The Sick Child

The grief of a loved one is clear in this painting, as the innocent child (also portraying Munch’s sister) lies ill and nears the end-of-life.

Spring

While light and life shines outside her window, this girl lies ill and dying, displaying in one cell the dichotomy of life.

Dead Mother and Child

This child stands alone in disbelief after the loss of her mother, while the adults busy themselves with the care needed at the end-of-life.

For more art on death, browse the archives of our Soulful Expressions column!

Source: Edvard Munch Gallery