The Pretenders; Fratricide 1929

Curator: What strikes me most about this image is its bleakness, its pervasive sense of tragedy. Editor: Indeed. Edvard Munch created this work, "The Pretenders; Fratricide," in 1929, utilizing ink and pen on paper. The expressive lines depict a scene of, seemingly, aftermath. Curator: The image reads as raw and unfinished, even desolate. Look at how the artist sketches the environment with frantic lines. The materiality really emphasises the rawness. Editor: Right. The subject matter itself is deeply symbolic, speaking to the themes of betrayal and internecine conflict, drawing directly on the medieval Norwegian saga cycles, notably the Sverris saga. Fratricide--the act of killing one’s brother--carries heavy biblical and historical weight. Think of Cain and Abel. Curator: Certainly. Observe how Munch employs a very limited tonal range, mostly confining his image to stark blacks and ochre-toned whites, furthering the solemnity of the illustration. Note, also, how the space is not resolved into one unified perspectival system, creating ambiguity. Editor: Yes, the spatial ambiguity also amplifies the emotional disorientation – a world thrown off its axis. The fallen figure takes on a posture echoing centuries of mourning and lamentation, a visual quotation of loss across cultures. What is striking to me are the footsteps – trails of violence now marking the street. Curator: The artist successfully conveys the essence of human drama and brutality through the employment of an understated composition. But its form alone evokes a great deal of emotion. The sparseness, for example, evokes a strong feeling of anxiety. Editor: Undoubtedly. And seeing these narrative images can resonate with the enduring reality of such conflicts and tragedies, and perhaps provoke some introspection. Curator: Absolutely. This brief look at "The Pretenders; Fratricide" gives us insight into Munch's mature exploration of psychological and emotional states through form. Editor: And, on this occasion, the visual symbolism, charged by literary and historic undertones, opens pathways for cultural memory and contemplation on eternal and painful themes.