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'''''Inheritance''''' (1897-1899) is an [[oil painting]] on [[canvas]] by Norwegian painter [[Edvard Munch]]. It depicts a mother with her baby, who is affected by [[congenital syphilis]]. Munch completed the work after visiting the [[Hôpital Saint-Louis]] in Paris |
'''''Inheritance''''' (1897-1899) is an [[oil painting]] on [[canvas]] by Norwegian painter [[Edvard Munch]]. It depicts a mother with [[syphilis]] holding her baby, who is affected by [[congenital syphilis]]. Munch completed the work after visiting the [[Hôpital Saint-Louis]] in Paris, where he saw a woman crying for her child with the disease. |
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The baby in the painting is lifeless, pale and covered in spots. The mother, whose hands and patterned skirt are specifically prominent, is crying and displays the red look of syphilis in her face. |
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Response to the painting was of surprise. Discussing [[sexually transmitted disease]] in public was unacceptable at the time the painting was completed. In addition, the artist had portayed a distortion of the much respected "Madonna with child".<ref name=Perciaccante2018/> |
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The baby in the painting is portayed as lifeless, pale and covered in spots.<ref name=Ravenal2016/> |
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==Background== |
==Background== |
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[[Edvard Munch]] was a Norwegian artist whose mother, sister and paternal grandfather had been affected by syphilis.<ref name=Ravenal2016>{{cite book |last1=Ravenal |first1=John B. |title=Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch: Inspiration and Transformation |date=2016 |publisher=Yale University Press |isbn=978-0-300-22006-3 |page=79 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7Pu4DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA79 |language=en |chapter=Sea change: Illness and mortality}}</ref> Munch completed an [[oil painting]] on [[canvas]] in 1899 based on what he witnessed during a visit to the Hôpital Saint-Louis in Paris, one of three hospitals in that city that took in people with syphilis.<ref name=Perciaccante2018>{{cite journal |last1=Perciaccante |first1=Antonio |last2=Coralli |first2=Alessia |title=The History of Congenital Syphilis Behind The Inheritance by Edvard Munch |journal=JAMA Dermatology |date=1 March 2018 |volume=154 |issue=3 |pages=280 |doi=10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.5834 |url=https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/2673815#:~:text=The%20idea%20of%20inherited%20syphilis,and%20the%20zoologist%20Fritz%20Schaudinn.&text=From%20that%20time%2C%20the%20term,was%20changed%20to%20congenital%20syphilis. |issn=2168-6068|PMID=29541782|url-access=subscription}}</ref> There he saw a wax model of a baby with congenital syphilis in their museum.<ref name=Perciaccante2018/> He also saw a woman crying for her child with the disease.<ref name=Perciaccante2018/> He titled the painting ''Inheritance''.<ref name=Ravenal2016/>{{efn|Nineteenth century physicans believed that congenital syphilis was acquired from semen ("semen inheritance") at the time of conception, and the unborn baby then transmitted it to the mother via the [[placenta]]. This false theory was used to explain why the mother was typically without symptoms until after childbirth. Tests for syphilis were not around until 1906 and it was later found that treating a pregnant woman for syphilis prevented congenital syphilis in her baby.<ref name=Oriel2012>{{cite book |last1=Oriel |first1=J. David |title=The Scars of Venus: A History of Venereology |date=2012 |publisher=Springer-Verlag |location=London |isbn=978-1-4471-2068-1 |pages=69-70 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SevjBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA69 |language=en |chapter=5. "The sins of the fathers": Congenital syphilis |access-date=2023-05-10 |archive-date=2023-06-30 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230630095857/https://books.google.com/books?id=SevjBwAAQBAJ&pg=PA69 |url-status=live }}</ref>}} |
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Munch's mother, sister and paternal grandfather had ben affected by syphilis.<ref name=Ravenal2016/> |
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The painting was created by Munch following a visit to the Hôpital Saint-Louis in Paris, where he saw a wax model of a baby with congenital syphilis in their museum.<ref name=Perciaccante2018>{{cite journal |last1=Perciaccante |first1=Antonio |last2=Coralli |first2=Alessia |title=The History of Congenital Syphilis Behind The Inheritance by Edvard Munch |journal=JAMA Dermatology |date=1 March 2018 |volume=154 |issue=3 |pages=280 |doi=10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.5834 |url=https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamadermatology/article-abstract/2673815#:~:text=The%20idea%20of%20inherited%20syphilis,and%20the%20zoologist%20Fritz%20Schaudinn.&text=From%20that%20time%2C%20the%20term,was%20changed%20to%20congenital%20syphilis. |issn=2168-6068|PMID=29541782|url-access=subscription}}</ref> He also saw a woman crying for her child with the disease.<ref name=Perciaccante2018/> |
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| ⚫ | The work is housed at the [[Munch Museum]], in Oslo, Norway.<ref name=Mus>{{cite web |title=Edvard Munch {{!}} Inheritance |url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/704669 |website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art |access-date=10 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230510055937/https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/704669 |archive-date=10 May 2023 |language=en}}</ref> It measures 141cm by 120 cm.<ref name=Mus/> |
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The picture depicts a baby affected by [[congenital syphilis]] lying in the arms of their mother.<ref name=Ravenal2016/> The infant is portrayed as lifeless, pale, yellow, and covered in spots.<ref name=Ravenal2016/> The mother's hands and patterned skirt are specifically prominent.<ref name=Cordulack2002>{{cite book |last1=Cordulack |first1=Shelley Wood |title=Edvard Munch and the Physiology of Symbolism |date=2002 |publisher=Rosemont Publishing and Printing Corp. |location=Massachusetts |isbn=978-0-8386-3891-0 |page=91 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DzgM3BGcMTsC&pg=PA91 |language=en |chapter=8. The physiology of inherited disease, death and immortality}}</ref> She is crying and displays the red look of syphilis in her face.<ref name=Cordulack2002/> She is wearing a plain black jacket and in her hat is a bright red feather.<ref name=Cordulack2002/> Munch stated he saw a woman "crying in the hospital of venereal disease", but does not clarify whether the syphilitic woman in the painting transmitted syphilis to her baby via an unfaithful husband or from may be her own sex work.<ref name=Cordulack2002/> |
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==Response== |
==Response== |
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Response to the painting in the late |
Response to the painting in the late nineteenth century was of surprise.<ref name=Perciaccante2018/> On the grounds of morality, discussing sexually transmitted disease in public was unacceptable at the time.<ref name=Perciaccante2018/> It has been described as shocking even in the 21st century.<ref name=Cordulack2002/> In addition, the artist had portayed a distortion of the much respected "Madonna with child".<ref name=Perciaccante2018/> |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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* [[List of paintings by Edvard Munch]] |
* [[List of paintings by Edvard Munch]] |
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==Notes== |
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{{Notelist}} |
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==References== |
==References== |
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[[Category:1899 paintings]] |
[[Category:1899 paintings]] |
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[[Category:Medicine in art]] |
[[Category:Medicine in art]] |
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{{Painting-stub}} |
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Revision as of 17:04, 14 July 2023
| Inheritance | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Edvard Munch |
| Year | 1897-1899 |
| Medium | Oil painting on canvas |
| Dimensions | (141cm × 120 cm ) |
| Location | Munch Museum, Oslo |
Inheritance (1897-1899) is an oil painting on canvas by Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. It depicts a mother with syphilis holding her baby, who is affected by congenital syphilis. Munch completed the work after visiting the Hôpital Saint-Louis in Paris, where he saw a woman crying for her child with the disease.
The baby in the painting is lifeless, pale and covered in spots. The mother, whose hands and patterned skirt are specifically prominent, is crying and displays the red look of syphilis in her face.
Response to the painting was of surprise. Discussing sexually transmitted disease in public was unacceptable at the time the painting was completed. In addition, the artist had portayed a distortion of the much respected "Madonna with child".[1]
Background
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian artist whose mother, sister and paternal grandfather had been affected by syphilis.[2] Munch completed an oil painting on canvas in 1899 based on what he witnessed during a visit to the Hôpital Saint-Louis in Paris, one of three hospitals in that city that took in people with syphilis.[1] There he saw a wax model of a baby with congenital syphilis in their museum.[1] He also saw a woman crying for her child with the disease.[1] He titled the painting Inheritance.[2][a]
The painting
The work is housed at the Munch Museum, in Oslo, Norway.[4] It measures 141cm by 120 cm.[4]
The picture depicts a baby affected by congenital syphilis lying in the arms of their mother.[2] The infant is portrayed as lifeless, pale, yellow, and covered in spots.[2] The mother's hands and patterned skirt are specifically prominent.[5] She is crying and displays the red look of syphilis in her face.[5] She is wearing a plain black jacket and in her hat is a bright red feather.[5] Munch stated he saw a woman "crying in the hospital of venereal disease", but does not clarify whether the syphilitic woman in the painting transmitted syphilis to her baby via an unfaithful husband or from may be her own sex work.[5]
Response
Response to the painting in the late nineteenth century was of surprise.[1] On the grounds of morality, discussing sexually transmitted disease in public was unacceptable at the time.[1] It has been described as shocking even in the 21st century.[5] In addition, the artist had portayed a distortion of the much respected "Madonna with child".[1]
See also
Notes
- ^ Nineteenth century physicans believed that congenital syphilis was acquired from semen ("semen inheritance") at the time of conception, and the unborn baby then transmitted it to the mother via the placenta. This false theory was used to explain why the mother was typically without symptoms until after childbirth. Tests for syphilis were not around until 1906 and it was later found that treating a pregnant woman for syphilis prevented congenital syphilis in her baby.[3]
References
- ^ a b c d e f g Perciaccante, Antonio; Coralli, Alessia (1 March 2018). "The History of Congenital Syphilis Behind The Inheritance by Edvard Munch". JAMA Dermatology. 154 (3): 280. doi:10.1001/jamadermatol.2017.5834. ISSN 2168-6068. PMID 29541782.
- ^ a b c d Ravenal, John B. (2016). "Sea change: Illness and mortality". Jasper Johns and Edvard Munch: Inspiration and Transformation. Yale University Press. p. 79. ISBN 978-0-300-22006-3.
- ^ Oriel, J. David (2012). "5. "The sins of the fathers": Congenital syphilis". The Scars of Venus: A History of Venereology. London: Springer-Verlag. pp. 69–70. ISBN 978-1-4471-2068-1. Archived from the original on 2023-06-30. Retrieved 2023-05-10.
- ^ a b "Edvard Munch | Inheritance". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 10 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
- ^ a b c d e Cordulack, Shelley Wood (2002). "8. The physiology of inherited disease, death and immortality". Edvard Munch and the Physiology of Symbolism. Massachusetts: Rosemont Publishing and Printing Corp. p. 91. ISBN 978-0-8386-3891-0.