Lot Essay
JEALOUSY WAS A RECURRENT PREOCCUPATION OF MUNCH, AND FIRMLY ROOTED IN EXPERIENCE. THE SUBJECT PROBABLY RELATES TO THE BEAUTIFUL NORWEGIAN WOMAN DAGNY JUELL, ONE OF THE ARTIST'S BERLIN CIRCLE WHICH CENTRED AROUND THE CAFE ZUM SCHWARZEN FERKEL. HE HAD ALREADY PAINTED HER IN 1893. SHE EVENTUALLY MARRIED MUNCH'S CLOSE FRIEND, THE POLISH WRITER STANISLAW PRZYBYSZEWSKI.
EIFERSUCHT REPRESENTS PRZYBYSZEWSKI AS THE JEALOUS MAN, WITH A SEMI-CLAD WOMAN (PROBABLY DAGNY JUELL) AND A MAN RECOGNISABLE AS MUNCH HIMSELF ON THE RIGHT. THE LITHOGRAPH WAS MODELLED ON THE 1895 PAINTING, JEALOUSY (RASMUS MEYERS SAMLINGER, BERGEN). IN THE LITHOGRAPH, THE FACE OF PRZYBYSZEWSKI IS ENLARGED, LOOMING WHITE AND SPECTRAL IN THE SYMBOLIC BLACKNESS SURROUNDING HIM. THE FACE STARES OUT OF THE PICTURE PLANE, CONFRONTING THE VIEWER WITH AN IMAGE OF INTENSE PSYCHIC PAIN. THIS IS EVOKED BY THE GAUNT, ASHEN FEATURES AND HORRIFIED, WIDE-OPEN EYES. THE PAIN OF JEALOUSY IS FURTHER SYMBOLISED BY THE BLOOD FLOWER AT THE FAR RIGHT.
THE ADAM AND EVE MOTIF AT THE RIGHT FUNCTIONS AT ONCE ON A NARRATIVE AND ARCHETYPICAL LEVEL, REPRESENTING THE WOMAN AS TEMPTRESS AND THE FALL OF MAN. THE IMPLICATION IS THAT THE ARTIST HIMSELF WILL FALL INTO HER TRAP AND WILL SUFFER THE SAME FATE AS THE UNFORTUNATE PRZYBYSZEWSKI. THE POSITIONING OF THE FIGURES IN DIFFERENT PLANES - AND PARTICULARLY THE FRONTALITY OF PRZYBYSZEWSKI'S FACE - HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN UNDERSTOOD TO MEAN THAT THE VISION OF THE LOVERS IS A PROJECTION OR HALLUCINATION FROM THE TORMENTED MIND OF THE JEALOUS MAN.
THE IMAGE WAS DRAWN ON THE STONE WITH CRAYON, TUSCHE AND NEEDLE SCRATCHES, THE LATTER TRACING VARIOUS CONTOURS AND THE STRANDS OF THE WOMAN'S HAIR. HER TENDRIL-LIKE STRANDS OF HAIR ENTWINE AROUND HER LOVER'S BODY (A RECURRENT MOTIF IN THE ARTIST'S WORK), ENTRAPPING HIM IN THEIR DELICATE WEB.
'A MYSTERIOUS STARE THE JEALOUS ONE'S IN THESE TWO PIERCING EYES ARE CONCENTRATED AS IN A CRYSTAL MANY MIRROR IMAGES. THE STARE IS SEARCHING INTERESTED HATEFUL AND AMOROUS AN ESSENCE OF HER WHOM THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON' (MUNCH, A MYSTERIOUS STARE, COLOURED CRAYONS, CIRCA 1912-15, MUNCH-MUSEET, OSLO, TRANSLATED IN BENTE TORJUSEN, WORDS AND IMAGES OF EDVARD MUNCH, THAMES AND HUDSON, LONDON, 1989).
EIFERSUCHT REPRESENTS PRZYBYSZEWSKI AS THE JEALOUS MAN, WITH A SEMI-CLAD WOMAN (PROBABLY DAGNY JUELL) AND A MAN RECOGNISABLE AS MUNCH HIMSELF ON THE RIGHT. THE LITHOGRAPH WAS MODELLED ON THE 1895 PAINTING, JEALOUSY (RASMUS MEYERS SAMLINGER, BERGEN). IN THE LITHOGRAPH, THE FACE OF PRZYBYSZEWSKI IS ENLARGED, LOOMING WHITE AND SPECTRAL IN THE SYMBOLIC BLACKNESS SURROUNDING HIM. THE FACE STARES OUT OF THE PICTURE PLANE, CONFRONTING THE VIEWER WITH AN IMAGE OF INTENSE PSYCHIC PAIN. THIS IS EVOKED BY THE GAUNT, ASHEN FEATURES AND HORRIFIED, WIDE-OPEN EYES. THE PAIN OF JEALOUSY IS FURTHER SYMBOLISED BY THE BLOOD FLOWER AT THE FAR RIGHT.
THE ADAM AND EVE MOTIF AT THE RIGHT FUNCTIONS AT ONCE ON A NARRATIVE AND ARCHETYPICAL LEVEL, REPRESENTING THE WOMAN AS TEMPTRESS AND THE FALL OF MAN. THE IMPLICATION IS THAT THE ARTIST HIMSELF WILL FALL INTO HER TRAP AND WILL SUFFER THE SAME FATE AS THE UNFORTUNATE PRZYBYSZEWSKI. THE POSITIONING OF THE FIGURES IN DIFFERENT PLANES - AND PARTICULARLY THE FRONTALITY OF PRZYBYSZEWSKI'S FACE - HAS TRADITIONALLY BEEN UNDERSTOOD TO MEAN THAT THE VISION OF THE LOVERS IS A PROJECTION OR HALLUCINATION FROM THE TORMENTED MIND OF THE JEALOUS MAN.
THE IMAGE WAS DRAWN ON THE STONE WITH CRAYON, TUSCHE AND NEEDLE SCRATCHES, THE LATTER TRACING VARIOUS CONTOURS AND THE STRANDS OF THE WOMAN'S HAIR. HER TENDRIL-LIKE STRANDS OF HAIR ENTWINE AROUND HER LOVER'S BODY (A RECURRENT MOTIF IN THE ARTIST'S WORK), ENTRAPPING HIM IN THEIR DELICATE WEB.
'A MYSTERIOUS STARE THE JEALOUS ONE'S IN THESE TWO PIERCING EYES ARE CONCENTRATED AS IN A CRYSTAL MANY MIRROR IMAGES. THE STARE IS SEARCHING INTERESTED HATEFUL AND AMOROUS AN ESSENCE OF HER WHOM THEY ALL HAVE IN COMMON' (MUNCH, A MYSTERIOUS STARE, COLOURED CRAYONS, CIRCA 1912-15, MUNCH-MUSEET, OSLO, TRANSLATED IN BENTE TORJUSEN, WORDS AND IMAGES OF EDVARD MUNCH, THAMES AND HUDSON, LONDON, 1989).