Angst

Angst by Edvard Munch is a powerful woodcut created in 1896, and signed by the artist in 1897. This print is central to the Norwegian artist’s intensive exploration of psychological unease and modern alienation. The work is fundamentally Expressionistic, depicting a group of dark, featureless figures standing on a bridge or jetty. Their forms are heavily stylized, contrasting sharply with the swirling lines defining the sky and water, which amplify the mood of anxiety established by the title.

Munch, a pioneer of modern graphic art, frequently employed the woodcut medium for its stark, immediate impact. He utilized the visible structural grain and reductive forms inherent in the woodblock technique to enhance the raw, visceral feeling of the image. The composition intentionally echoes his famous canvas, The Scream, sharing the dramatic perspective of figures gazing out over water, often interpreted as the Kristiania fjord. The creation date of 1896 places this piece firmly within the period when Munch was developing his landmark series, The Frieze of Life, a project dedicated to chronicling the cycles of human existence, love, and death.

As a critical example of Munch’s graphic output, this impression resides in the respected collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). Although the initial execution of the woodblock was in 1896, the formal signing in 1897 underscores the period of intense development in the artist's printmaking career. Because this iconic imagery is frequently studied and reproduced, various prints and high-quality reproductions of the work have become widely accessible, contributing significantly to the visual lexicon of the public domain.