“Separation” is a painting created in 1896 by Edvard Munch. It depicts a man and a woman in the process of a separation.
The focus of this painting is the color contrast between the two characters depicted, as well as the dynamic backdrop of the painting. The motives of creating this painting are unknown; however, it can be implied that Munch is trying to express the feeling of general separation when it happens. Personally, I understand this painting to the large extent, as I feel that, in a separation, one is always dwelling in the past, while the other is ready to move on from the relationship and the past. Seeing the contrasting colors, Munch emphasized two different perspectives to how people at the end of a relationship approach the same separation.
The darker colors that refer to the male emphasize a “negative” theme. The color black, in which the man is drawn, often represents emotions of sadness and despair. This color also correlates with how the man is depicted in the painting. As shown by the sorrowful facial expression of the man, he is seemingly depressed about the separation he is going through. The woman is drawn with brighter colors, in order to emphasize the complete opposite of the man. The color yellow, in which the woman is mostly drawn with, often represents happiness and optimism. Based on the direction the woman is looking at and the colors she is depicted in, it seems as though she is ready to happily end the relationship and move on from it. The black line, which the woman is about to cross, could perhaps represent the line that separates the past/present and the future. While the man looks towards the past, reminiscing and suffering from the memories that they once had together, the woman looks far across the line, awaiting the future.
Something interesting is that the man’s right hand is painted with the colors of the woman. Perhaps, this represents how the man fails to let go of the woman from his heart, as he embraces her towards his chest.
However, when looking at this from a different perspective, it can also seem like the man is dreaming about the woman. Based on the blurry depiction of the woman, it could be that the man fails to forget about his love. The woman’s hair is leaving the head of the man, suggesting that the man is thinking about her at this very moment. Either way, Munch depicts two different sides of a separation story.
Although there may be many ways to represent how relationships end, the ultimate result is that one is in despair and one is ready to move on, much like how Munch paints the story of the two lovers in “Separation”.
