“Village Street in Asgardstrand” by Edvard Munch, limited reproduction

Munch's family already owned a holiday home in the small village of Asgardstrand on the Oslofjord, where the painter (1863-1944) spent his summers. At the age of 35, he acquired his own building, which remained his refuge well into old age. Even when he was widely considered Scandinavia's most important painter and his works fetched prices that allowed him to purchase a large estate in Erkely near Oslo, he regularly returned to his small fisherman's cottage to live and work. The significance of Asgardstrand for Munch's art cannot be overstated. The ever-changing light and the rich colors he found there influenced his palette even in the landscapes of his later works. Paintings like "The Village Street" reveal a Munch who, alongside his famous masterpieces that explore and dissect the human psyche, created works of simple, profound beauty. These works are no less groundbreaking than his psychological studies - in terms of color and composition, Munch already anticipates Expressionism here as well.