Madonna Painting
Artist	Edvard Munch
Year	1894-1895
Medium	Oil on canvas
Location	Munch Museum, Oslo
Dimensions	36 in × 27.8 in
	91 cm × 70.5 cm

Madonna is a painting that was created by a Norwegian painter, Edvard Munch. Between 1894 and 1895, five versions were created of the painting on an oil canvas. The painting is believed to be of Mary, Jesus’s mother, even though it is a unique representation of her. A realism approach was used, and the painting depicts a woman that is nude, and possibly in the act of making love, as opposed to most other depictions which can be found of a mature and chaste woman.

Techniques Involved

An approach in the art form of realism is used in the depiction. The oil painting represents a woman with closed eyes, with her body twisting away from the light, even though her eyes are still pointed at the light. This is thought to represent the Annunciation of Mary conceiving a child.

Controversy

There are questions as to whether the painting is of the Virgin Mary, as Edvard Munch did not name the painting himself. Other titles that were given to the painting include: The Madonna Face and Loving Woman. Due to the fact that Munch was not religious, nor was he a Christian, there are questions as to whether the painting is depicting the Virgin Mary.

The Work’s History

In 2004, the Madonna and another piece of art were stolen from the Munch Museum. Both of the paintings were retrieved and brought back to the museum in 2006, where only minimal damage was found, and a small hole that was found in the Madonna which was said to be repairable.

Whether it is a depiction of Mary, or any other woman, the Madonna has become one of the most famous and controversial paintings due to its depiction and because so many people believe that it really is a painting of the Virgin Mary, in a very non-traditional way.