Self Portrait

Self Portrait by Edvard Munch is a powerful lithograph created in 1912, a critical juncture in the Norwegian artist’s career. Classified as a print, the medium of the lithograph allowed Munch to explore highly textural surfaces and psychological intensity through stark contrasts of black and white. This work demonstrates the artist's advanced mastery of graphic arts, which he utilized extensively alongside his famous output in painting to disseminate his deeply personal subject matter.

This 1912 piece sits squarely within the history of Expressionism, although Munch consistently developed his unique, visceral style independent of formal artistic groups. By this stage in his life, Munch was intensely engaged in creating numerous self-portraits, utilizing the format to confront his own mortality, aging, and lingering anxieties following his hospitalization in 1908. The resulting image is intensely personal yet universally resonant, capturing the psychological weight of the period.

Typical of Munch’s later graphic works, the figure is rendered with great economy of line and high tonal difference. The absence of color focuses the viewer’s attention entirely on the subject's haunting facial expression and demeanor. This simplification and concentration of emotional force amplify the sense of isolation often present in the Norwegian master’s œuvre.

Munch recognized the importance of producing prints like this one, allowing for greater distribution and accessibility of his dramatic visual language. Self Portrait is preserved as part of the extensive collection of modern prints at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York. The existence of multiple lithograph prints ensures that this intimate yet universal statement remains widely studied by scholars and appreciated by the public, securing the legacy of this seminal Expressionist.