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Neutralia (Girls Picking Apples) (Apfelpflücken)
1915
22 1/2 x 20 13/16 in. (57.1 x 52.8 cm)
Edvard Munch
Norway
(1863 - 1944)
Object Type:
Print
Medium and Support:
Color lithograph
Credit Line:
Marion Stratton Gould Fund
Accession Number:
1972.12
Location: Not currently on view
Munch's lithograph poster was originally designed for a poster that advertised a 1915 exhibition of Scandanavian art in Copenhagen, Denmark. This idyllic scene, though, is also a political commentary; the title refes to Denmark and Norway, both of which remained neutral during World War I (1914-1918). The two young girls picking apples symbolize those neutral countries along with their citizens who profited financially from that neutrality. Most telling of this work as a political statement is that, despite the seeming cheerfulness of the scene, the girls remain oblivious to the ship shown sinking in the background.
[Adapted from gallery label text, 2007]