Alhassanain(p) Network for Heritage and Islamic Thought

The American University in Cairo

School of Humanities and Social Sciences

AUTHENTIC DASEIN AND THE ANXIOUS UNCANNY

A Thesis Submitted to

The Department of English and Comparative Literature

In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements

For the Degree of Master of Arts

By

Hend Diaa Diaa Seifeldin Khalifa

Under the supervision of Dr. William Melaney

April/ 2012

Table of Contents

ABSTRACT. 4

Introduction: Comparing Notions of Anxiety  5

Chapter 1: Kant and Munch: the Sublime in Nature 9

Chapter Two: Heidegger and Munch: Anxious Dasein  15

Chapter 3: Munch  -  Combining Heidegger and Kant 20

Works Cited. 28

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

 “No prison can hold your passion to soar.” - Erté, (1892-1990)

To Professor William Melaney, my advisor, guiding light, source of inspiration and the person who always allowed me to express myself. You allowed me to use my potential to the utmost level, always encouraged me, supported me, gave me courage and strength and allowed me to be the best that I could be. I will be forever grateful for your kindness, patience and support.

To Professor Ferial Ghazoul; the first literature course I took was with you, and I have been in love with the world of literature ever since; you are the reason I decided to pursue an MA in English and Comparative Literature

To my sister; the best friend anyone could ever ask for. I am the luckiest girl in the world to have you. When I fall, I know you will always be there to pick me up.

To my mother; my true strength, support and love. I thank you for being my mother, my older sister, and my friend-I owe you my life.

To my grandmother Toota; the epitome of strength, love, and sacrifice. I hope that one day I can give my family what you gave us.

To my father; the kindest father any girl could wish for. I learned so much because of you and for that I thank you.

To my grandfather, Tifa; your love, persistence and determination gave me life. We are who we are because of you.

To my husband, who gave me back-without knowing it-the abilities to hope, to dream, to believe and to love; who managed to let me go and hold me back, and who filled my suitcase with life.

ToDas Man , who-every day-allow me to see the blessings behind every “curse.”

ABSTRACT

The philosophical reader cannot help but notice that some of the major assertions of Immanuel Kant and Martin Heidegger are thematically intertwined. Perhaps even more clearly, the viewer who approaches the work of Edvard Munch with a philosophical frame of mind will discover how the thoughts of Kant and Heidegger often illuminate key aspects of his paintings.Authentic Dasein and the Anxious Uncanny strives to analyze the main works of Edvard Munch, the father of Expressionism. This thesis uses Heidegger’s concepts of anxiety and being-towards-death, as well as Kant’s notion of the Sublime as laced with anxiety, to re-examine nineteen of the artist’s masterpieces. The first chapter explores the relationship between Kant and Munch, while the second focuses on artist’s works through the philosophy of Heidegger. The third and concluding chapter brings together Kant and Heidegger through a series of paintings to demonstrate how Munch’s achievement can be interpreted philosophically.

Introduction: Comparing Notions of Anxiety

 “I often feel that I must have this life -Angs t - it is essential to me - and that I would not exist without it.”  Edvard Munch

Both fear and anxiety are pivotal when it comes to literature, art and philosophy.  Nevertheless, the two are often confused, at least partly because they are in many cases intertwined. Both terms can be distinguished easily enough. Fear is in reference to a certain object or situation-one is afraid of “something.” Anxiety, on the other hand, is a state of mind, or mood; its object and/or source is never clear and remains a source of torment for the person who experiences this emotion.

Immanuel Kant and Martin Heidegger provide us with the tools for distinguishing fear and anxiety. Kant inThe Critique of Judgment discusses anxiety in relation to the sublime. Distinguishing between the mathematically and the dynamically sublime, the former gives birth to anxiety through its size, i.e. by enforcing a feeling in man of being diminished; the latter, which is evident in nature, resonates anxiety when the subject feels helpless in the face what is overwhelming - as long as a certain distance or safety is in play. In such cases, anxiety produces a sense of and the sublime.

For Heidegger, anxiety lies at the core of the authentic Dasein. For this reason, anxiety performs a crucial role inBeing and Time . Through anxiety the Self is revealed, and since the Self is transcendental, it is irreducible to the object-world. In moments of anxiety, we confront ourselves; we come to terms with what defines us; the world is the background to understanding the ontological “who.” In this situation, anxiety allows the self to emerge as unique to the individual; it is no longer collective and does not follow “the they.”  In other words, anxiety allows the Self to be authentic.

Fear is almost always noticeable. In literary texts, the tone and the language used by the author can communicate fear directly. Both description and dialogue can indicate that fear is felt on a simple emotional level. Anxiety, however, is not as easy to detect. In some cases, the word “anxiety” appears, thus asserting its presence; however, in other instances, one needs to read between the lines in order to understand the complexity of the character in question, along with the situation at hand. This allows the reader to detect the air of anxiety, which is commonly present throughout the text. Anxiety can appear in many forms; it can be the result of frustrations, mental complexities, stress, insanity and/or depression; nevertheless, in every case, this pivotal mode of existence needs to be deeply examined and contemplated if the reader is to fully grasp the meaning of the text.  In the case of painting, anxiety can be expressed through a variety of techniques. Such techniques would include strong, rough, or short brushstrokes, variations in composition, the artist’s choice of color, and the positioning of figures in space. These techniques are sometimes possible to relate to autobiographical factors that give them special meaning.

Norwegian artist, Edvard Munch, was “painfully aware of not belonging in this world” (Schwabsky, 144). He is often labeled the father of Expressionism, an art movement that marks a high-point of anxiety in the

history of art. Labeled “degenerate” by the Nazi regime and often scrutinized by critics during his own lifetime, Munch nevertheless revolutionized art in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.   When looking at the historical timeline of art, we cannot ignore that Munch’s leap of faith, in terms of style, marks a pivotal moment; without him, Expressionism, which “designates a dominantly subjective art,” would not developed when it did (Longman, 13). From the standpoint of art’s future, we might say that his paintings opened up (a) “world” (Heidegger, 41). The Norwegian genius was in fact the person who opened up this (new) world of art, making it visible and accessible. As a matter of fact, we might go as far as to say that hebecame “Munch”because he stepped beyond an age dedicated to realism, which dominated the art scene throughout much of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. His work thus dramatizes an undeniable shift in style. 

InThe Private Journals of Edvard Munch, the artist says that his art “is a self-confession” but also expresses the view that it might “help others understand their search for sanity” (Holland, 20). Munch discovered himself in his art. Realism clearly could not express the feelings, moments, and issues that he wanted to present on his roughly-treated canvases, thus giving birth to the version of expressionism that came rather naturally to him. Furthermore, when looking at his works, we are faced with a continuously pulsating feeling of anxiety, which, to use Heidegger’s terminology, brushes away the veil ofDas Mann , forcing spectators to view themselves in their utter nakedness - in terms of an authentic self.

Kant’s understanding of beauty would have been dominant in Munch’s Norway. His conciliatory view of the common world, orsensus communis , would have provided artists with public validation for their work. During this period, however, painting needed Munch to break out of a representational approach to art and allow for more authentic human expression. According to Munch, “what one paints must be done with will and feeling,” just as he strived to “paint people who love and suffer” (Holland, 29; TIME, 1).  In other words, Munch was needed to help art free itself from the bonds of realism and naturalism. My thesis contains four major chapters that will follow through on the development of Munch’s expressionism and the philosophical implications of his new approach to painting. 

For Heidegger, anxiety, referred to asAngst , is associated with a feeling of ‘uncanniness’, or not-being-at-home. It is a state of mind that lies withinDasein , which is basically the philosopher’s term for human being.Anxiety is usually hidden or ‘asleep’ and in due time it awakens and shakesDasein to the core.Angst has two components: one is either anxious in the face of something or about something, and both refer to being-in-the-world.Dasein has anxiety about its involvements within the world and in the face of ‘thrownness’, orGeworfenheit : “The mood ofAngst puts us in direct contact with nothingness, which goes hand in hand with being, for being is finite and only becomes accessible against the empty background of the ‘not’” (Harman, 70). Death also plays a role with respect toAngst for the authentic

Dasein . He or she understands that death is a possibility that at some point will be actualized and should thus be anticipated. 

But why is anxiety so troubling? According to Heidegger,Angst drivesDasein out of its immersion in the world of things and forces it to confront itself  - and thus, the latter experience cannot be explained by ‘the they’, orDas Man , the anonymous ‘one’ who constitutes most of those surroundingDasein . Heidegger argues thatAngst freesDasein from the inauthenticity ofDas Man . Additionally, “Dasein is thrown into death as a constant possibility of its being, as revealed in Angst. It is not death itself that interests Heidegger, but being-towards -death, since this attitude is with us at all times even when it is concealed” (Harman, 71).

For Kant, in contrast, anxiety is closely linked to his notion of the sublime, which cannot really be represented in aesthetics but forms the basis for the transition between aesthetics and morality. Kant argues that a lack of harmony is also closely linked to the experience of the sublime. The sublime is very subjective - one may refer to it as an evanescent experience - but it does reveals the mental situation of the person who experiences it: “true sublimity must be sought only in the mind of the [subject] judging, not in the natural Object, the judgment upon which occasions this state” (Kant, 117). In a sense, one may say it individuates, as opposed to the beautiful, which entails asensus communis and brings together a community based upon agreement. The voice of nature is expressed through the sublime and imposes a sense of respect upon us. Kant also distinguishes between the types of the sublime, namely the mathematically sublime (as related to the idea of absolute greatness) and the dynamically sublime (as related to the idea of might). These notions will be related to my discussion of the role of the sublime in Munch’s paintings.

Hence, Chapter One:Kant and Munch: the Sublime in Nature , will zoom in on the dynamically sublime in relation to Munch with a special focus on Munch’s “nature paintings.” These paintings epitomize Kant’s description of man as feeling overwhelmed with the grandiosity, power, strength and danger of nature. This feeling combines both pain and pleasure. Munch’s “nature” paintings, namelyThe Storm (1908),Forest (1903),Young Girl by the Shore (1896), TheSun (1912),Towards the Forest I (1897), TheWave (1921) andStarry Night (1923), all express Kant’s dynamically sublime and extend this experience to any possible audience of spectators.

Chapter Two:Heidegger and Munch: Anxious Dasein , will discuss Heidegger’s definition of anxiety in greater detail in addition and take up the importance of anxiety with respect to authenticDasein . Following an elaborate explanation, Heidegger’s understanding will be applied to Munch’s paintings in an attempt to underscore the role of anxiety in his work. In an article titled “Existential Anxiety: Angst,” James Park discusses how “anxiety usually hides behind ordinary fears and worries,” and assumes an “existential” form when it produces images that no not necessarily correspond to real threats:  

Our existential anxiety can also create phantom fears: Are we pursued in the dark by impossible monsters? Or do we have dreams of horror, danger,

menace, threat? Even in our waking hours, we might sometimes dream up unlikely dangers to explain our anxiety to ourselves. (5)

Heidegger discusses the importance of anxiety in his works, beginning withBeing and Time. Particularly whenDasein dwells in the inauthentic mode, anxiety lies dormant, but it nevertheless remains in force. Anxiety is one of the most vital moods and lies at the core ofDasein’s innermost being. The tragic hero, as a special example of authenticDasein , is aware of anxiety, experiences it, and thus feels caught up in a world where he or she feels thrown into a world of groundless existence. The paintings to be discussed in this chapter areAnxiety (1894),Evening on Karl Johan (1892),Puberty (1895),Summer Night’s Dream (The Voice) (1893), andThe Scream (1893).

Chapter Three:Munch - Combining Heidegger and Kant, will once again underscore the notion that anxiety is an essential feature ofDasein - that it is, specifically, the key to authenticDasein . Here Kant’s idea of pain, which indicates the experience of the sublime and also points to the realm of the supersensible, will be combined with Heidegger’s understanding ofbeing-towards-death as leading to anxiety. These paintings will be used to develop this comparison:Vampire (1893),Ashes (1894),Death in the Sickroom (1895),Woman in Three Stages (Sphinx) (1894),Self-Portrait: Between the Clock and Bed (1940-1942),White Night (1901), andThe Dance of Life (1899-1900).

Numerous texts have been written on Kant, Heidegger, and Munch, but none before has offered a view of art that combines the work of all three figures.  With respect to Munch, much literature discusses his mental illnesses along with his views on women and sexuality in relation to his works. Nevertheless, several aspects of the artist’s work and life have not been addressed.  Four basic questions remain unanswered: (1) How does Munchbecome the “Munch” known to the present-day art lovers? (2) How does Munch enterand exist in the frame of art itself? (3) How does the artist open up a “new” world? (4) Finally, in addition to the psychological aspect of his work, which already infuses the spectator’s mind with anxiety, how and why is it that spectators shudder and “take off their hats in awe, the way they do in church” when confronting Munch’s work (Strickland and Boswell, 123)? In relation to the final question, Munch’s manipulation of space, color, composition, and texture will be thoroughly analyzed.

Chapter 1: Kant and Munch: the Sublime in Nature

“One doesn’t paint

         after nature  -  

         one takes from it.”( Munch, 60)

In hisPrivate Journals , Munch once asked, “How should one paint true weeping after nature?” (Holland, 2) This was a question that truly puzzled him throughout his career.  The artist strived in his own way to “copy nature” (Munch, 89), but then added, “we certainly could not catch nature anyway - better to give the feeling - in oneself” (Munch, 89). Inspired by Paul Gauguin’s reaction against Realism and James Abbott McNeil Whistler, who once claimed that “art is not an imitation of nature,” Munch believed that nature should be transformed according to how the artist experiences it. Of Gauguin’s work, the poet Stephane Mallarmé once wrote, “[. . ] symbolism: to evoke an object bit by bit in order to show a mood” (Munson, 62). Art historians agree that Gauguin strived to develop “an aesthetic based on simplification of forms” (Munson, 62), a notion that becomes evident in Munch’s paintings.

Munch’s art can also be seen in relation to Romanticism, which promoted imagination, emotion and genius, giving birth to an expressive theory of art during the late eighteenth century. “According to this theory, art was seen as the means of portraying the unique, individual feelings and emotions of the artist” (Bourne, 1). The Romantics were evidently against all forms of mimesis: “There is no copying, there is no adaptation, there is no learning of the rules, [. . ] there is no structure which you must understand and adapt yourself to before you can proceed (Berlin, 119). It was William Wordsworth who defined poetry as “the spontaneous overflow of powerful feelings.” (Abrams, 21).

As an important precursor to Romanticism, Kant believed that the laws of nature are grounded in human reason (Routledge, 1). The exaltation of nature led Kant to the notion of the sublime. In theCritique of Judgment , Kant wrote that “for the most part nature excites the Ideas of the sublime in its chaos or in its wildest and most irregular disorder and desolation, provided size and might are perceived” (104). He also added that “we must seek (a ground) for the Sublime merely in ourselves and in our attitude of thought which introduces sublimity into the representation of nature” (104). The sublime is not to be found in nature, as such, but in the subjective apprehension of nature as grasped by the human mind. Surely Munch’s view of the sublime, as reflected in his paintings, can be related to the increasingly subjective attitude towards life and experience that entered mainstream European culture as a consequence of Romanticism.        

Romanticism of a strongly Symbolist cast is clearly evident, for instance, in Munch’sThe Wave (1921), a painting that has gone largely unmentioned in the available criticism. This painting is concerned with violent, strong waves and is dominated by indigo and marine blue hues - “colors Munch associated with worlds outside the everyday . the otherworlds of death and of art” (Steinberg, 13). The waves are formed of occasional splashes of turquoise, brown and white apparently to attack the shore, or better yet, devour it.  Minus the brown intervals, the waves reflect the sky, which

would appear calm, if viewed as isolated from the rest of the work. The paint daubs are smoother than the artist’s rough handling, and the results, which Munch referred to ashestekur, or “kill or cure” treatment, sum up his manner of treating canvases, which sometimes caused them to tear (Aslaksby, 1)  

The background inThe Wave presents a clear yet deformed landscape, dominated by shades of green on the right side, and gradually morphing into neutral and blue hues.  Five tall trees bend in accordance with the blowing wind, supporting the wave’s force and “pushing away” the remaining parts of the emerald scenery, forcing the elements to blend together, forming amorphous shapes. Behind the trees, deep indigo mountains produce a haunting effect and assert their presence in a minimalist manner. A curved brown line, created by mixing red ochre and red lake (Singer, et al, 283), almost splits the painting into two parts, and yet its function is not strongly evident. What starts as a coastline ends in a boardwalk, where, before the canvas ends, a distant, lonesome figure appears, suggesting a person “dwarfed” by the immensity and force of nature in a way that recalls Kant’s definition of the dynamical sublime.

Nevertheless, what is it aboutThe Wave that compels the spectator to perceive the painting in terms of the sublime? Munch closely studied and applied the intuitive color systems of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe as well as more mystical and astral theories of the occultists to his color compositions (Steinberg, 11-12). He certainly believed that “blues and violets bring an anxious, tender, longing mood, because they always convey darkness and coolness; the deepest purple has an unsettling effect” (Steinberg, 13).  Undeniably, the artist’s choice of colors does play a major role in his use of the uncanny and the sublime. Naturally, the painter’s violent brush strokes that appear in the foreground create the wave’s force, resonate with strength, and also help depict the dynamically sublime. Furthermore, Munch’s placement of the lone figure right before the canvas ends, as well as his decision to make him almost unnoticeable at first glance, emphasizes how small the human being really is when faced with the overpowering grandeur of nature, thus fulfilling the requirements of the dynamically sublime, which resonates anxiety when it evokes a feeling of helpless in the face of nature.

Towards the Forest I (1897), a colored woodcut, fits more into the artist’s “common” style, including a nude, female figure, “at once vulnerable and seductive” (Berman), a fully dressed male one, as well as the discernable and enveloping red hair -  all common motifs evident in hisFrieze of Life series. At first glance, the female nude, turned away from the spectator, stands out against the dark and dim colors of this work, asserting Munch’s belief in the power of women’s sexuality. The male figure, who also presents his back to the spectator, is fully dressed in dark garments. This figure appears in a stark contrast to the woman, whose red hair erotically slides down her back and onto the man’s shoulder and head. Munch strongly believed in the power of hair, which can “envelop and strangle, or provide a sought-for connection” (Harris, 7). His use of this

motif is even more evident in works such asVampire (1893) andAshes (1894), which will be discussed later.

Both figures are moving forward - right leg first, at a pace, which seems to be rather slow or poised - while gazing at the unknown. They are trotting on green grass, broken up by pale yellow strokes, while the moon’s reflection is hidden behind the large trees and reaches up towards the sky. The scene becomes darker and creates an uncanny undertone as they enter deeper into the unknown. The proposed “union” transforms into one that no longer seems passionate and loving (Zogaris, 23). The dark blue waters appear to fall into the world of Hades, where the ferryman, possibly the male figure, will escort the dying across the river to be submerged into the underworld for eternity. The erect trees, possibly a phallic symbol, amplify the man’s role; he is taking her intohis domain . but where, or for what purpose exactly (Slavoj, 3)? The spectator slowly forgets about the man and the woman and is overwhelmed by their uncanny surroundings, which arouse a sense of the sublime, due to the figures in the foreground, who are also spectators and appear at a safe distance from an engulfing nature, allowing them, and us, “to feel this soul-stirring delight” (Kant, 49). The uncertainty of the situationis what creates the sublime, because “obscurity is necessary” (Burke, 13). Last but not least, the visible grains of the wood, in addition to the evidently rough and textured strokes of the artist, add to an uncomfortable feeling that vibrates from this woodcut, especially since the strokes becomes rougher, shorter and faster as the eye wanders away from the central figures.

Munch’s painting,The Sun , was painted in 1912, after his psychotic episode, which lasted from 1908-1909 (Steinberg and Weiss, 409). This painting formed the centerpiece for a set of works that were commissioned after Oslo gained independence in 1905 (Berman): “Originally, Munch had considered the Nietzschean idea of a mountain of men, struggling towards the sun’s light, but the idea was disliked by the selecting authorities” (Smith, 21). Much different from his darker, more nocturnal works, “nature is shown [in this painting] as a constructive force with the sun as a life-giving force that energizes everything around it” (Berman). Here Munch opts for a brighter, more festive, color scheme but remains true to his iconic “column,” which in this case was reserved for the reflection of the sun and once again might be interpreted as a phallic symbol. The powerful rays spring forth from the canvas in bright, daring shades of yellow and red, producing diagonal and “aggressive” strokes. This brush technique looks forward to German Expressionism, especially to Wasilly Kandinsky’s painting,Der Blaue Reiter , and captivates the viewer with its overpowering force (Smith, 112). The blue waters and sky act as a backdrop, which amplifies the grandeur of the “magnificent” and “causes the sublime” (Burke, 23). According to Kant “the sublime is to be found in an object even devoid of form, so far as it immediately involves, or else by its presence provokes, a representation of limitlessness” (40).

An earlier painting,The Storm (1893), is dominated by dark hues, specifically browns, yellows, greens, with neutral tones in between. This painting depicts Åsgårdstrand, which is normally “a haven of peace in his

work” but here becomes the scene of a natural disaster as witnessed by Jens Thiis, the director of the Oslo National Gallery and one of Munch’s personal allies (Smith, 64). Nevertheless, the background (as in many of Munch’s paintings) contains a degree of realism. Compared toThe Sun , this work, which was executed prior to the artist’s major psychotic episode, is much darker, mysterious, and painted in abstraction (Steinberg and Weiss, 409).  The rocks in the bottom-right corner gradually merge with the surrounding area in a water-like flow; the patch of grass gradually darkens until it turns black, thus echoing the houses in the background, with the exception of the central, stable, lit house. 

In this painting, Munch “scratched” out yellow hues from the surroundings of the house, only to draw the spectator’s attention to the bright windows, forming the “safe haven,” which the women have left behind (Bischoff, 38). The painting “conjures a sense of psychic distress,” largely due to the “anguished gestures” of the protagonist, dressed in white, and her “followers,” who match the broader color-scheme (MoMA, 1).  “Undeniably dramatic, the impersonality of the figures, like a Greek Chorus, has a lot in common with the dramatic ethos of symbolism and the quest for ‘universality’” (Smith, 64). The women, even though presented in minimalistic fashion with feathery brushstrokes and devoid of facial traits, echo the same gesture, which is present in Munch’s most iconic work,The Scream (1893).

In the bottom-left corner of the canvas, we might observe a darkened patch, possibly a small surface of water, and yet it could also serve a purpose that also performs a role in works such asPuberty (1895). Some scholars have argued that the later painting suggests links between the shadow and ancient traditions, but a more strongly psychological interpretation of this phenomenon has also been proposed:

Munch also wrote of a shadowy presence, perhaps attributable, at least in his view, to both a physio-and psycho-pathology of the brain. [. .] shadowy presences appear frequently in Munch’s visual works as well, perhaps indicating, among other things, the burden of creative thought. (Cordulack, 49, cited in Kuuva, 68)

Unlike most of Munch’s other shadows, which more commonly appearbehind the protagonist, the shadowy presence inThe Storm appears in the foreground. For this reason, its existence seems vague and indiscernible compared to the previously mentioned shadows. It has been proposed in addition that the shadow symbolizes death (Schneede, 46). 

Munch’s placing of the loud, “angry” storm against the safe and sound house clearly evokes Kant’s dynamical sublime, which involves boundlessness and terror before the forces of nature: “The ambiguity of pose and gesture of the huddled (women) [. .] stresses the fragility of the human compact with nature, and the lack of security in the face of terrors” (Smith, 64). The women, however, seem to be motionless, with the exception of the protagonist in white, who appears to be moving towards the shore. The direction of her movements is easy to assume, since this specific location, favored by Munch, did have a sea view (Bischoff, 38). The woman in white is apparently turning away from the protected boundaries of society, i.e., the

warmly lit house, in order to dive into the unknown.  She thus presents us with an interesting form of escapism. InThe Storm , which is “primarily about the effects of nature on people,” the sublime acts like a “call,” as opposed to a “repelling” force (Smith, 64).

Munch’sStarry Night (1923) contains blue and green hues that might remind the spectator of Vincent Van Gogh’s painting, which carries the same name. This would not be a coincidence, since Munch saw Van Gogh’sStarry Night on display in 1889 and created his more uncanny version four years after the Dutch artist’s death as a tribute to him and a pessimistic commentary on the world. While Van Gogh’s work is filled with large, hopeful, fiery stars, Munch’s sky is dominated by darkness, barely allowing the yellow dabs of paint to shine in a gloomy atmosphere (Schneede, 55). Representing the coastline at Åsgårdstrand, south of Oslo, where Munch spent his summers from 1880 onwards, the artist used his favorite blend of blue-indigo-violet to represent the melancholy and mysticism of a familiar landscape. 

Dominated by an abstract black mound in the foreground, this painting evokes sadness and a sense of the uncanny. With the exception of a single fine white line cutting through the “trees,” black is the leading agent. As the spectator’s eye travels to the middle ground, a faint black line divides the waters from the sky, marking a vacant horizon. A few pale yellow patches stand out in the sky, perhaps to represent nebulae, unless they are simply meant to conjure the realm of the unknown. A sense of the uncanny brings forth anxiety, while also introducing the presence of the sublime. Even though there is no obvious shelter visible in this work, the profound stillness of the scenery could serve as a safe haven, allowing the sublime to be present - by establishing and supporting the grandeur of nature - while ensuring safety when it projects an aura of silence.

Young Girl by The Shore (1896) is yet another early painting that resonates with sublimity. In this work, Munch’shestekur technique is highly visible, especially in the foreground. The rough “scratches” on the canvas appear at the bottom of the canvas, eventually diverging into the unknown right under the protagonist’s white dress. The colors are dim and faded, which could be due to the artist’s rough handling of his canvases; nevertheless, the chosen effect could also be intentional. Stone-like patches appear in the foreground as well, slowly losing even more shape as the eye dives into the painting. Unlike the previously discussed works, the foreground, middle ground and background are clearly divided into indigo-purple, black, and sky blue, once again indicating Munch’s favored colors. The curved coastline gradually embraces the waters, which are not separated from the sky. The horizon is unclear, and the female protagonist seems to be frozen in time and space, staring into oblivion. 

In this painting, the young girl dressed in white, represents the virgin, innocent and pure. Half of her figure is lit up by the sun, while the second figure, standing closer to the coastline, is darkened by a shade, or indirect shadow. The innocent girl, as often depicted in Munch’s works, stands with her back facing the spectator, at the farthest place from the unknown and with her hands presumably near her side. Her pose is suggestive of

contemplation, laced with worry. Is she capable of proceeding into the unknown?  Will she face the challenge? Possibly she is lost in an “aesthetical judgment” as she gazes ahead in awe (Kant, 123). For now, she chooses to settle on the most distant point, the safe haven, her protected world, which enables the feeling of the sublime to issue forth uninhibited.

Finally, even a quick look atForest (1903) fills the spectator with an air of anxiety concerning the powerful forces of nature, since “sublimity [. . ] does not reside in anything of nature, but only in our mind” (Kant, 129). The abstract globules of trees and rocks dominating the foreground serve to raise a question mark and produce strong anxiety. Starting with the foreground, the branches and rocks seem to be in a sort of whispering dialogue, creating muted voices while the storm subsides. In the middle ground, white froth dominates. Could this represent clouds that have fallen from the sky? What the white globules are remains a mystery. In the background, the pastel sky seems to come to a rest along with the sea. But two small sailing boats are visible at a safe distance from the forest, asserting the feeling of the sublime in which “the mind feels itselfmoved ” (Kant, 120).