Lot 130
  • 130

EDVARD MUNCH | Vampire II (Woll 41; Schiefler 34)

Estimate
150,000 - 200,000 GBP
Log in to view results
bidding is closed

Description

  • Edvard Munch
  • Vampire II (Woll 41; Schiefler 34)
  • image: 383 by 558mm 15 by 21 7/8 in
  • sheet: 435 by 630mm 17 1/8 by 24 3/4 in
Lithograph printed in black and orange over the woodcut printed in green, blue and ochre, 1895-1902, Woll's sixth state (of ten), signed in pencil, on smooth, tissue-thin wove paper, framed 

Condition

With wide margins, in good condition, pale light-staining (mostly visible in the margins), a minute nick at lower right sheet edge, two minor horizontal creases in the upper right margin, some very inconspicuous minor defects at sheet edges, framed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Catalogue Note

'A broken-down man and on his neck a dominant, biting vampire figure... There is something fearfully calm and passionless about this picture; the fatality of an immense resignation. The man rolls in the unfathomable abyss, without will, powerless, and rejoices that he can roll without will, like a stone. But he cannot free himself from the vampire, nor the pain, and the woman will always sit there, and will always bite with a thousand snakes' tongues, with a thousand poisoned fangs.' The Polish author Stanisław Przybyszewski offered this interpretation of Munch’s oil on canvas portrayal of the Vampire in 1894. In fact, it was Przybyszewski’s evocative observation that inspired the artist to rename the subject. The composition was originally known as Love and Pain, a title that succinctly captured the conflicting motivations – of desire and dread, lust and angst – that lie at the heart of this iconic image.

Munch created his first black and white lithographs of the Vampire in 1895. In a typically experimental and innovative move, the artist later combined woodcut and lithographic elements to create polychrome impressions of the subject. These images are complex and absorbing – both technically and visually. Each impression is also singular: as Elizabeth Prelinger explains, the coloured prints 'are distinguished by their invention, evocation, and beauty. The printing variations render many impressions unique as well as monumental, reflecting the importance that Munch assigned to them.' (Prelinger, Edvard Munch: Master Printmaker, p. 111).

The present impression is printed on fine, lustrous tissue, which has the effect of holding the ink on the surface of the paper. This gives the printing an exceptional consistency, luminosity and richness, setting it apart from other impressions of the subject. Furthermore, the blue and green areas of the composition are here particularly prominent. Their intensity serves to encapsulate the figures, closing in on them and thus accentuating their inescapable predicament.