Comment:
Munch drew this portrait during an extended trip to Hamar and Hedmark County in spring and early summer 1882. He chose to draw her in profile, which produces a more neutral and detached expression than when a person is facing the viewer. It may also be a sign of reservation on the part of the model. Nevertheless Munch has managed to evoke a lively expression, with a mildness that is underscored by the use of charcoal. The values are more dominant than the drawn contours, from the voluminous darkness of the hair, to the carefully modelled cheeks and the very light areas in the face. The collar is delicately insinuated so that its unruly folds do not disturb the tranquillity of the face. Below the collar he has placed a severe, dark shadow; a kind of visual mooring so that the head does not "float freely". Place your finger over this dark diagonal and observe how important it is for the whole impression. This is a highly developed and deliberated portrait in the realistic tradition. "A face is beautiful when is reflects the presence of a thought", writes Milan Kundera. Here the young Munch has certainly succeeded in implying the presence of thought, and in conveying something of the person’s inner life and personality.