Portrait of Knut Hamsun

The Portrait of Knut Hamsun by Edvard Munch, executed in 1896, captures the likeness of the influential Norwegian author and Nobel laureate. This drypoint is a significant example of Munch's extensive output in printmaking during the late nineteenth century, a medium he utilized for its directness and capacity to convey psychological depth through line work. The artist’s choice of drypoint, characterized by its burred, velvety line quality, lends the sitter an air of introspection and gravity.

The decision to depict Knut Hamsun grounds the work firmly within the context of contemporary Norwegian intellectual culture. Munch often sought to immortalize his literary peers, reflecting a period of intense artistic and emotional exploration common throughout the 1890s in Northern Europe. Unlike some of Munch’s more symbolic compositions, this piece maintains a clear focus on the subject's character, using the scratchy intensity inherent to the technique to suggest the author's complex personality. The stark definition of Hamsun’s features, contrasted with the sparse background, emphasizes his importance as a cultural figure.

Munch's sustained efforts in creating prints were crucial to his career, allowing him to experiment with textural variations and widely disseminate his images. This particular impression of the drypoint, produced in 1896, serves as an important record of the relationship between two giants of Norwegian modernism. The work is currently held in the esteemed collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. As with many historically significant prints, access to high-quality images contributes to ongoing scholarship regarding the production techniques and subjects favored by Munch.