The Girl by the Window
Edvard Munch’s life and art have come to epitomize modern notions of anxiety. Created the same year as his renowned The Scream, this painting depicts a young girl in her nightgown gazing out at the city from her darkened room. The steep angle of the floor and the deep shadows that obliterate almost everything in the room create an unsettling and enigmatic scene.
Details
- Palette
-
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- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Dimensions
- 96.5 × 65.4 cm (38 × 25 3/4 in.); Framed: 110.5 × 79.4 × 8.9 cm (43 1/2 × 31 1/4 × 3 1/2 in.)
- Origin
- Norway
- Department
- Painting and Sculpture of Europe
- Holding institution
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Image provider
- art-institute-chicago
- License
- CC0-1.0
- Credit
- Searle Family Trust and Goldabelle McComb Finn endowments; Charles H. and Mary F. S. Worcester Collection
Art Genome Taxonomy
11 tags
Subject Matter
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Interiors Metadata · 99%
The museum describes the work as a figure standing inside a darkened room and lists interiors among its subjects.
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Times of Day Metadata · 98%
Night is listed among the museum’s subjects, and the description identifies the scene as taking place in the dead of night.
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Light as Subject Both · 90%
The museum lists light as a subject and describes moonlight forming glowing areas, which are also visually prominent in the window and on the floor.
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Human Figure Both · 96%
A single standing human figure is clearly visible, and the museum identifies the figure as a young girl.
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Isolation/Alienation Both · 90%
The solitary figure is visually separated within the dark room, while the museum explicitly describes the scene as conveying isolation.
Styles and Movements
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Post-Impressionism Metadata · 96%
Post-Impressionism is listed among the work’s styles in the museum metadata.
Visual Qualities
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Dark Colors Visual · 94%
Deep brown, blue, violet, and green passages dominate the room, particularly the right side and lower foreground.
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Asymmetrical Visual · 90%
The window and figure occupy the left and central-right portions while a large dark area and furniture-like form occupy the right and lower-right, creating uneven visual weight.
Medium and Techniques
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Oil Painting Metadata · 99%
The museum metadata specifies the medium as oil on canvas.
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Large Brushstrokes/Loose Brushwork Visual · 96%
Broad, visibly directional strokes and overlapping patches of paint define the curtains, figure, floor, shadows, and window area.
Time Periods
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19th Century Art Metadata · 99%
The work is dated 1893, and the museum lists nineteenth century and 19th century among its styles.
Source & rights
Edvard Munch. The Girl by the Window. The Art Institute of Chicago.