Monkeys I and II
1908
You probably know Edvard Munch for 'The Scream,' but here he turns his intense gaze toward a troop of monkeys. Created around 1908, right when the artist was suffering a major mental breakdown, these sketches show him obsessively studying animal behavior, likely as preparation for his lithographs 'Monkey I' and 'Monkey II.' Look closely at the figures—they look contemplative and almost human, especially the pair grooming each other in the bottom right corner. It feels like Munch is searching for the same existential drama he found in people, but finding it in the primal world of nature instead. The scratchy, energetic lines reveal an artist working fast to capture the raw essence of the creatures.
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