The Sick Child I

Museum record 160144: The Sick Child I by Edvard Munch. A verified entry point for discovery.

What to notice

For The Sick Child I (record 160144), start with modern, expressive, atmospheric. Compare the focal subject, edge treatment, and atmosphere before moving on.

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When Edvard Munch was thirteen years old, his sister Sophie died of tuberculosis. Nine years later, he created the first of five painted versions of The Sick Child , all representing Sophie just prior to her death. Munch later described the process of painting these works as a form of technical and personal catharsis. Due to the great success of the paintings and his own psychological preoccupations, in 1894–96 Munch made three prints based on the motif, of which The Sick Child I was the last. In 1896 th…