Edvard munch paintings of women

The Three Stages of Woman (Sphinx) by Edvard Munch was painted in oil on canvas in 1894 and explores the popular theme of the three main female archetypes and their chronology from maiden, mother to crone.

Sometimes known only as Spinx, the work depicts a swirling and formless setting, with a stream of running water and a dark, dense natural background that harks back to some of Munch's other works.

Edvard munch paintings of women

Many critics also see The Three Stages of Woman (Sphinx) as the starting point for Munch's later work, The Dance of Life. This painting by Edvard Munch moves from light to dark and is painted in three distinct sections that then seamlessly bleed into one another.

The young maiden is depicted on the left hand side of the painting, with flowing golden hair, her face turned upwards towards the sun, her feet stood in the yellow waters of the stream that is carry