Puberty

The influential Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863-1944) created the powerful print Puberty in 1902. This iteration is an etching rendered in black ink on cream wove paper, showcasing the artist's intense use of line and shadow. The piece was printed by Otto Felsing, a noted German collaborator who helped Munch translate his emotionally charged images into the print medium. Although Munch is often associated with painting, his intensive work in graphic arts, including etchings and woodcuts, was fundamental to cementing his reputation as a key figure in Symbolism and early Expressionism.

Munch often revisited profound psychological themes, and this image directly addresses the complex and vulnerable experience of adolescence. Although the original concept for the composition dates back to an 1894 painting (now in the National Gallery, Oslo), the 1902 print version allowed Munch to disseminate his iconic image more widely. Typical of the works Munch produced while based in Norway and later Berlin, the etching features stark contrast and deep shadows, emphasizing the solitary figure seated on a bed. This visual technique amplifies the anxiety associated with the character's transition from childhood.

The intensity of Munch's graphic work secured his international legacy, making him one of Norway’s most famous artistic exports. Today, high-quality reproductions of many of Munch's key prints are widely circulated, contributing to the work's near public domain status in cultural memory, despite the relative modernity of the creation date. This particular impression of Puberty is housed in the expansive collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, illustrating the museum’s commitment to acquiring seminal examples of early 20th-century European graphic arts.