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The source

Nature's abundance of resources

Edvard Munch's The Source

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Edvard Munch's painting The Source shows two people next to a waterfall that cascades down a mountain.

They drink from the mythic waters of wisdom and, at the same time, from one of Norway’s great natural resources.

The painting is based on sketches Munch made of Norway's spectacular west coast, combining the mythical with a specifically local motif.

Together with the Aula painting Harvesting women, the work is an homage to nature's abundance of resources.

Details

  • Technique and materials: Oil on canvas 
  • Date: 1915-1916
  • Dimensions: 455 x 225 cm
  • Woll: 1226 
  • UiO.K: 01409 

Edvard Munch's Aula paintings

The decoration of the University Aula in Oslo was among Edvard Munch's most comprehensive art projects, and a prestigious and controversial assignment in its time.

The 11 pictures are the only expressionist monumental paintings preserved in their original context. The motifs show the university's activities and history, enlightenment and the great, eternal forces of nature and mankind.

The Aula decoration is part of UiO's art collection.

Explore the story behind the Aula paintings