The Girls on the Bridge

Three girls stand side by side on a wooden connecting bridge.
Leaning on the railing, they quietly gaze at the water's surface.
In the background are a large tree with lush foliage, a white fence,
and a stately building.
Bright light reflects on the water's surface.

The artist is Edvard Munch, a leading Norwegian painter.
What kind of paintings come to mind when you think of Munch?
He is known for depicting somber themes such as death, illness, and loneliness, as exemplified by works like The Scream and Anxiety.
A painter who portrayed the inner fears of humanity alongside distorted landscapes.
That image might be very strong.

However, this particular work actually signifies his emergence from such dark psychological depths and his return to a brighter reality.

In the 1890s, Munch continuously depicted the morbid drama of 'birth, old age, sickness, and death'.
Dominated by fin-de-siècle melancholy, his own mind was deeply wounded.
However, in 1898, he purchased a small fisherman's cottage in the Norwegian village of Åsgårdstrand.
The coastline of this village was where he had once witnessed a tragic drama of love and hate.
It was also a place where he had been deeply hurt.
However, by owning his own home and strengthening his ties with the local community,
a change in his state of mind began to emerge.

The following year, in 1899, he traveled to Florence, Italy.
There, he was deeply impressed by classical friezes and frescoes of the Early Renaissance.
These experiences combined, and his interests gradually shifted.
From personal melancholy, such as death and anxiety, to an ordered aesthetic.
And towards 'the child's perspective' as a pure symbol of life.