Edvard Munch (1863-1944) a Norwegian painter from Löten, painted at the age of 32, a portrait of a young naked girl, around the age of 12 to 14, under the name of Puberty (1894-95). Munch in his painting showcases the delicate phase of life that displays the awkwardness and discomfort of a being that is beginning to discover his/her sexuality.
He succeeded in portraying quite accurately the strange, confusing and painful period of blooming as an individual, coming out of the bubble of parental care and discovering one’s own body and the influence of the outside world. Touch, sensation and gaze. This painting is also a reflection of Munch’s personal life. He painted this piece while suffering from mental illness, alcoholism and his troubles with women. His whole life he has had difficulties in establishing relationships with women which made him socially distant and isolated. (Inside the Tortured Mind of The Artist Who Painted The Scream : Perspective – YouTube)
The painting has a young girl in the centre of the frame on the brink of puberty, sitting at the edge of the bed with her legs placed close, her hands crossed and placed on her knees with her arms covering her crotch. (Puberty, 1894 by Edvard Munch – edvardmunch.org) Her back is slouched, closing her chest, which is an indication of her awkwardness and shyness. She is self conscious, the kind of conscious a young girl gets as she takes notice of her tender breasts growing.
Being a young woman myself, the slouched position of adolescence is very commonly seen and personally experienced. As this phase of life brings so many changes that are a little difficult to accept and hiding oneself seems to be the appropriate thing. Her face on the other hand, looks directly at the viewer. She is not shyly looking away, her gaze is fixed, bold, and somewhat inquisitive.
The bed she sits on has white bedsheets, it could be understood as the colour of purity and innocence, on the edge of which she is placed. The room is dark, simple with nothing but a bed in the frame. The colours used in the painting carry a melancholic aura within them, showing puberty as the dark, secretive, uncomfortable phase of life that one attempts to keep to oneself.
Her dark shadow behind her takes a ghost like shape which has three very lightly painted holes for eyes and a mouth when observed closely, which is not uncommon in Munch. Taking his Self-Portrait with Cigarette (1895) as an example where the shape of his left ear appears to be a ghost like figure with three holes for eyes and a mouth, giving the painting an eerie vibe. The shadow of the girl could be interpreted as the dark shadow of puberty dawning upon her. It is behind her, she is unaware of its existence, but it is a part of her.
Munch succeeds in capturing the early discomfort of puberty very well. However, we see a young woman’s puberty phase through the eyes of a man. A man who, as mentioned earlier, had troubles establishing relationships with women. We see her naked, vulnerable and unaware (hence, inquisitive) She is attempting to cover herself from the eyes of the viewer. The whole painting, like puberty, is unpleasant. — not in the sense that it is poorly made, but it transcends the girl’s discomfort from the painting to the viewer.
The question that rises here is — if Munch’s gaze succeeds in showcasing puberty accurately as it is, then why is it portrayed in a negative light here? The reason being, Munch’s portrayal of puberty focuses on the dark, uncomfortable side of it, most importantly that of a growing woman. The complex physical and mental changes of whom he would never be able to comprehend. His perspective of a girl’s adolescence can be put to challenge by that of a woman artist’s on female puberty. One such example that springs to mind is the painting of Martha Solorzano titled Puberty. Though much is not known about this artwork, I am using it as an example next to Munch’s painting to show the difference between a man and a woman’s perspective on female body.
The painting includes a young girl who is quite opposite of what Munch has portrayed in his painting. She sits in the centre of the frame, wearing a white dress adorned with pink and white flowers from head to her waist. The colour white, which indicated purity and innocence on the edge of which the girl in Munch’s painting was seated, is now worn beautifully and decoratively by the girl in Solorzano’s painting. She sits with her back straight in a graceful manner, her arms are set wide apart opening her shoulders that exude confidence.
The girl is placed in front of the trees, showing her as a part of nature. The painting is warm and gentle to the eyes, as the colours of the background are in contrast with the vibrant colours of the girl — white and pink that blends perfectly and showcases the femininity of the girl. Showing the viewers that puberty and its changes is not as scary as a man shows it to be. It could be a delicate yet strong breakthrough into womanhood that moulds her individuality and agency.
Whereas, Munch strips off the feminine essence of the young girl, making her hide her body. There is a sense of isolation in his painting, which contradicts to the painting of Solorzano as the young girl portrayed by her is not isolated. She carries within herself a strong sense of solidarity, confidence and self love that is missing from Munch.
The time gap between these two paintings is huge, but the difference is too loud to take our eyes away. However, the beauty of Munch’s painting that draws the viewer’s attention cannot be denied. He does capture without fail the strange feeling of isolation and awkwardness in a growing individual, an unsaid angst in his painting which cannot be overlooked by his admirers. Hence making it one of the paintings that is most close to my heart.
Very intuitive, insightful, and well written..