Lot Essay
The image of women waiting on a shore was particularly popular in late nineteenth century northern European painting. In Munch's hands, nevertheless, the poignant quality inherent in the subject is replaced by a disturbing sense of dread. The image with its broad planes of clear color and the extensive use of the original paper tone instils a sense of well-being. Contrasted with this is the brooding figure of the old woman--linked in outline to the figure beside her who has turned blankly away from us to face the sea.