Munch's 'Melancholy' Summer Scenes at Nasjonalmuseet

The Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design in Oslo houses a version of Edvard Munch's 'Malinconia' (Melancholy), painted around 1892. The work is part of a series of five paintings and two woodcuts depicting a man seated on a beach in Åsgårdstrand, Norway, where Munch spent his summers. The figure, supporting his head with one hand, gazes into the distance, while a couple prepares to board a boat at the pier in the background. The man is identified as Jappe Nilssen, a friend of Munch who had an unhappy affair with Oda Krohg, the wife of painter Christian Krohg. Munch saw parallels with his own turbulent relationship with a married woman. The painting captures a typical summer evening in a Norwegian fjord, with colors that intensify the protagonist's mood. Munch's accompanying text describes walking along the shore under moonlight, with stones emerging like mysterious sea creatures, and a man and woman at the pier with a boat ready to depart. The article also mentions a related work, 'Two Tahitian Women' by Paul Gauguin, though no further details are provided.