TALISMÁN | Christa Zaat

Christa Zaat



Edvard Munch (Norwegian painter, draftsman, printmaker, lithographer & woodcutter) 1863 - 1944
The Brooch. Eva Mudocci, 1903
lithograph
76 x 53.2 cm.
Munch-museet (The Munch Museum), Oslo, Norway

After 1902 Munch’s lithographs were mainly drawn on paper. There were, however, some exceptions, such as this portrait of Eva Mudocci from 1903, executed directly on stone using a variety of lithographic techniques - with lithographic crayon, tusche, and scraping tools.
Eva Mudocci was a famous British violinist who, together with the pianist Bella Edwards, had concert tours throughout Europe, including Norway.
Edward Munch met her in Paris in 1903. The two of them became close friends. Initially the relationship was of an erotic nature, but in time became more like a brother-and-sister relationship. From 1902 to 1908 she was one of Munch’s closest confidantes. Munch himself called the lithograph Madonna and Madonna with Brooch, connecting it to the Madonna motif from the 1890s, but the Madonna- motif’s clearly sexual contents t have been reduced in this portrait to undertones in a beautiful and soulful face.
Mudocci became an ideal figure and a muse for the artist, and this portrait, with its lyrical atmosphere and musical rhythms is undoubtedly one of the finest of Munch’s many female portraits. The portrait is nowadays best known as The.Brooch. Acting here as an eye-catcher in the composition, the brooch was a gift from the Norwegian art historian Jens Thiis in 1901.

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One of Munch’s most beautiful and highly praised female figures. Eva Mudocci (Rose Lynton, prob. 1883−1953) was a young, gifted violinist whom Munch got to know in 1902. Together with the pianist Bella Edwards, she toured Europe giving concerts that brought her renown and acclaim. In the lithograph, Mudocci is depicted half-length and from a low angle. Her loose dark hair flows freely around her pale face. Her gaze is lowered and turned to one side, towards something beyond the frame and invisible to the viewer. Focal to the picture is her brooch, which creates a fine balance in the composition and enhances her enigmatic gaze. What does it mean to her? What is she thinking about? Mudocci appears in two other works Munch finished in the same year: Violin Concert and Salome.

There are certain similarities between the figure in The Brooch and Munch’s famous Madonna. Earlier, this lithograph itself bore that title. Here the erotic dimension is considerably toned down and the figure shows more individual and thoughtful traits. The work demonstrates how Munch was gradually mastering the expressive potential of the lithographic medium. The undulating lines have a lot in common with the leisurely brushstrokes that characterise so many of Munch’s paintings. With its simple contrasts and subtle visual effects this is a highlight among Munch’s graphic works.