Vampire II

  • Artists:

    • Edvard Munch
    • M. W. Lassally (Founder, printer i.a. in duplication)
  • Creation date: Platene utført 1895 og 1902; trykket ca. 1902
  • Object type: Print

On display:

About

Munch frequently repeated motifs that he found particularly interesting, some of them many times and in a range of media. He first worked with the motif seen in this print in paint in 1893. In 1896 he produced a black and white lithograph on the theme, and in 1902 he combined lithography and woodcut. Later he painted several new versions. The depiction of a red-haired woman leaning over the neck of a man kneeling in front of her has clearly erotic overtones. Is she kissing or biting him? The title Vampire can be traced back to the Polish author Stanislav Przybyszewski, one of the central figures in the circle Munch frequented in Berlin in the 1890s. It emphasises the threatening role of the woman and the painful aspect of the man’s experience of love. Not only was this a theme that interested the Berlin circle and the Christiania Bohemians, it also preoccupied Munch on account of personal experience. The picture has also been known under the title Love and Pain.

Munch was interested in the many variations that could be achieved through the manipulation of printing techniques. For this reason he often used different colours in making prints from the same block, often in unusual combinations. Vampire II is a fascinating example. Here he has combined a black and white print from a lithographic stone he had used in 1896 with coloured prints from a woodcut created in 1902. On past occasions he had cut the wood block into pieces, applied ink to each piece individually, then reassembled them (like a puzzle) before running off a print. There are several versions of Vampire II using different colours.

We do not know when the National Gallery acquired this print.

Text: Sidsel Helliesen

From "Edvard Munch in the National Museum", Nasjonalmuseet 2008, ISBN 978-82-8154-035-54

Artists/producers

  • Edvard Munch

    Visual artist, Painter, Graphic artist, Photographer, Drawing artist

    Born 12.12.1863 in Løten, Hedmark, death 23.01.1944 in Oslo

  • M. W. Lassally

Work info

Creation date:
Platene utført 1895 og 1902; trykket ca. 1902
Other titles:
Vampyr II (GER)
Vampyr II (NOR)
Object type:
Materials and techniques:
Fargelitografi og fargetresnitt på papir
Material:
Keywords:
Classification:
Inventory no.:
NG.K&H.A.18996
Cataloguing level:
Single object
Litteratur:
  • Hansen, Vibeke Waallann, et al. Edvard Munch i Nasjonalmuseet: en samlet oversikt. Redigert av Ustvedt, Øystein, et al. Oslo: Nasjonalmuseet, 2022. kat.nr. 89.
  • Woll, Gerd. Edvard Munch: the complete graphic works. New York: Harry N. Abrams Inc. Publ., 2001. kat.nr. 41.
  • Jones, Liv Inger. Norsk grafikk til 1970. Kobberstikk- og håndtegningsamlingens kataloger. Oslo: Nasjonalgalleriet, 1972. kat.nr. 27.
  • Schiefler, Gustav. Verzeichnis des graphischen Werks Edvard Munchs bis 1906. Berlin: Bruno Cassirer, 1907. kat.nr. 34 b.
Inscriptions:
Secondary, Inscription, Nede høyre: 11 / 35 - 27 [penn]
Primary, Inscription, Nede høyre: E Munch [blyant]
Acquisition:
Acquisition details unknown
Owner and collection:
Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design, The Fine Art Collections
Photo:
Ina Wesenberg/Ivarsøy, Dag Andre
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