Pain By Edvard Munch Essay

One can only hope to never experience the loss of a child, however no one can ever be prepared for what life has in store. The thought of losing any loved one is tragic, but imagine watching a loved one fight an illness and come to realize there is nothing anyone can do to save them. In the painting by Edvard Munch, a despondent family member sits by her ill loved one dreading her death. The painter creates a mood of despair instigated by the ill health of a loved one.
The lighting in the room appears to be diminishing like a flame burning out. The brighter part of the painting, which surrounds the woman lying in bed, is being overcome by the darkness coming from the right side of the painting. In the room, two women sit at each other’s side. A younger woman sits up in bed with a large white pillow supporting her upper body. The oversized marshmallow that supports her back delivers the greatest amount of comfort. Thick, olive green covers wrap …show more content…
Due to the setting of the painting, one can presume that the young woman in bed is gravely ill. She is covered from head to toe, her pale face is drained of any indication of color, and the woman beside her wears all black almost as if she grieves for her already. The artist uses dreary colors such as olive green, red, gray, and black to represent desolation and the struggle of accepting the nearing death of a loved one. The short distance between the two women indicates they are extremely close and possibly even related. The older woman, dressed in black, blends seamlessly into the background. She hangs her head because she cannot look into the eyes of the younger woman beside her. The younger woman’s remoteness confirms she has come to accept with her probable death. On the other hand, the older woman beside her, unable to come to terms with death taking her loved one away, cannot not even look at her in the