Edvard Munch: Girls on the Pier
David Loshak, the author of my monograph, puts a lot of weight into psychoanalytical interpretation. For instance, he expounds the sun and its reflection in “The Dance of Life” as a phallic image, as well as the tree and its reflection in today’s piece. I would like to contend this trend. In my opinion, psychoanalysis is a deeply flawed, or, in other words, a fictional theory, which illustrious, and even less so art history professors inject into their essays in a way of a ready-made template for the purpose of deriving meaning from paintings. Psychoanalysis has been proven to contain massive inaccuracies but somehow still persists in the humanities — I think that the temptation of an easily accessible paradigm that only needs mechanic application is hard to resist. But eventually this is lazy and bad practice; instead of developing an original system of one’s own, scholars seek to adhere to a popular but obsolete (few “universal” truths have been corroborated as such during modern research) theory.
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There is enough substance in this painting to examine and interpret without resorting to Dr. Freud’s equivocal postulates. A group of three girls gazes into the lake, studying the reflections caught on the surface. The water serves as a mirror, looking into which may mean a search for knowledge and understanding — a known motif in Western art. Consequently, the tree near the shore may represent the one of knowledge. It seems ironic that eventually I arrive to a conclusion that withholds a sexual meaning, which is just as primeval as psychoanalysts claim to had uncovered, but I would still stress the difference. But the symbolism here pales near the general nostalgic mood; the long, distorted bridge and the backs of the girls imply moving away — in space as well as in time. The curve could seem like a compositional flaw resulting from lack of planning if it weren’t for the obvious effect of intensification of the said mood.
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Nostalgia is often in the danger of slipping into sentimentalism, but Munch’s palette secures him from such excesses. There is something very noble, and probably Nordic in his restraint in choice of color. Even the bright yellows and oranges are toned down, as if diluted and inhibited by the Scandinavian character; however, these warm hues retain the zest that contributes to the general sadness by contrasting the bleak weather and surroundings. This piece transforms into a tragic event (or at least implies one), a process characteristic of some other Munch’s works as well. Perhaps this is the emotional streak that often found a more focused expression in his expressionistic paintings. Though here the artist employs more or less universal symbols, he does it in very personal — expressionistic way. In a way he alternates between two genres, never really adhering to a single school or current, a sign of an independent, original and true artist.
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