Death in the Sickroom (Døden i sykeværelset)

Death in the Sickroom (Døden i sykeværelset) by Edvard Munch is a powerful lithograph created in 1896, representing a pivotal moment in the Norwegian artist’s engagement with expressive prints. This stark, black-and-white image revisits the traumatic central theme of death and familial suffering that permeated Munch’s life and work, especially the loss of his sister Sophie to tuberculosis. Munch utilized the lithographic technique to achieve harsh, simplified forms and an overwhelming sense of enclosed space, amplifying the psychological tension inherent in the scene.

The composition centers on a group of figures clustered in a claustrophobic interior. Characteristic of Munch’s psychological approach, the dying individual is relegated outside the frame or suggested only by the collective anguish, placing the focus squarely on the reactions of the surviving family members. A young woman, often interpreted as a depiction of the artist’s sister Laura or perhaps Munch's own emotionally detached state, stands prominently in the foreground, facing outward, rigid and desolate. Munch employs angular lines and deeply shadowed areas to isolate the figures, transforming the literal sickroom into an arena of spiritual crisis. The seated, cloaked figures flanking the scene appear mournful and resigned, embodying various stages of grief and despair.

Created during a highly productive period for Munch in 1896, this piece exemplifies his commitment to Symbolist narratives that would prove highly influential in the development of Expressionism. Unlike his oil paintings, this work, one of several significant graphic prints produced during that year, allowed for broader dissemination of his intensely emotional iconography. This profound reflection on loss and memory, the Death in the Sickroom, is a key piece in understanding the artist’s lifelong thematic concerns and is held within the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).