Ladies, would you let an artist paint your portrait if his art was notoriously misogynist? Whether or not Edvard Munch's art is misogynist is, of course, up for debate but I've always gotten the distinct impression that women in his artwork belong with death, destruction and teh eeeeeevil s-e-x. I mean, even his painting of the Virgin Mary is really... vampy. Like she's having a naughty Lord-gasm. So imagine my surprise when I came across this thoughtful, insightful and lucid portrait. Her body is portrayed skillfully as an expression of an attitude rather than a decoration; her face is a very appropriate balance between an invitation to admire and a window into her thoughts. I also admire the mix of her passive gaze "off-screen" and her solid, almost swaggering stance.
Edvard Munch, Birgitte Prestoe. c. 1924.
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