Horses by Edvard Munch

"Spring Ploughing", 1916

Edvard Munch (1863-1944) was a turn-of-the-century Norwegian artist, best known for his extremely personal brand of Symbolism, which helped lay the foundations for and proved a lasting influence on the later Expressionist school of art.

Munch was incredibly prolific during his lifetime and, in addition to his more well-known works, over 1500 paintings have been provisionally accredited to the artist.

After many years without a fixed abode in Europe, Munch returned to settle permanently in his native country in 1909. In 1916 he bought the rural property Ekely just outside Kristiania (Oslo), where he lived until his death in 1944. The house had a large garden that had formerly been used as an agricultural nursery. The verdant surroundings with farmers at work, horses and fields quickly spawned a series of motifs that were crucial to Munch’s work in this period.

While the artist used to refer to his works as his children, he began to refer to them as his children with nature, that celebrated work and life.

"Autumn Ploughing", 1919

"Man Ploughing with a White Horse" 1919–1920

"Two Black Horses at the Plough" 1919–1921

"Horse Team in Snow", 1923

References:

Norwegian arts

www.nasjonalmuseet.no