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Centrally placed on the bare bed is a young, nubile thing who shyly hides her lady parts and stares out at the viewer. Not with the defiant gaze of Édouard Manet’s Olympia, but with the uneasiness of a girl of 13 or 14 who has been asked to sit nude for a painting in all the awkward glory of puberty. Hence, the title. It makes for an uncomfortable portrait.
It’s not just physical discomfort that comes along with puberty, i.e. the appearance of hair in clandestine crevices, but also the previously unknown tingly feelings that tickle the very same crevices! This series is therefore also considered to represent Munch’s recognition of his own repressed sexuality. He had hangups from growing up super religious and from the guilt of losing his virginity to his cousin's wife at a young age. Yikes. Top that mess off with a rumor that this series might also be based on Munch’s sister, and you got yourself an altogether queasy feel.
All that bottled-up sexuality takes form in a dark, looming shadow on the wall behind the little lady, threatening to engulf her. Very scary. Some say the shadow is an amorphous representation of human genitalia…but it’s kinda hard to say whether it’s a boy shadow or a girl shadow. Either way, this androgynous black hole seems to send a message to children on the brink of adulthood: ”Watch out kids! From here on out, sexy time is gonna take over your pure, innocent souls!”
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Puberty (Norwegian: Pubertet) is an 1894–95 painting created by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. Puberty has associations with both symbolism and expressionism, the former a movement from which Munch emerged, and the latter a movement in which Munch was pivotal. It is part of an informal series or cycle of paintings, prints, and images known as The Frieze of Life, that Munch created in 1890s, although he often revisited and explored themes and images from the series throughout his career. The painting was also done as a lithograph and an etching by Munch.
Check out the full Wikipedia article about Puberty (Munch)
wow girl of 13 or 14 who has been asked to sit nude for a painting in all the awkward glory of puberty what a title ...
this is really very amazing art.i really liked it.