The artwork entitled “Self-Portrait (in distress)” was created by the renowned Expressionist artist Edvard Munch in 1919. This piece is an oil on canvas painting, capturing the essence of genre painting—a style depicting scenes from everyday life. It stands at a notable size of 151 by 130 centimeters. As an emblematic work of the Expressionism movement, the painting is part of the collection at the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway.
The artwork exudes a profound emotional intensity characteristic of Munch’s oeuvre. It portrays the artist himself in a state of evident agitation or distress. Munch’s masterful use of thick, expressive brushstrokes and a moody color palette evokes a sense of unease and internal turmoil. The artist stands in an interior space, his body language tensed, with hands clenched as if grappling with an invisible adversary or struggling with internal conflict. The surroundings are rendered with loose, almost hurried brushwork, reflecting the disquiet of the artist’s mind. The domestic setting, with items such as a table and a bed vaguely discernible, underscores the personal nature of the portrait, inviting viewers into the intimate world of Munch’s psychological state. Through the distortion of forms and the fervent, almost chaotic application of paint, Munch communicates a vivid psychological landscape, making this self-portrait a poignant testament to the existential angst that typified his work and the Expressionist movement at large.