Aasgaardstrand

Edvard Munch's 'Aasgaardstrand' (1904) is a broader view of the coastal village — looking at the village from the sea or from its environs rather than from within the garden, this view depicted the village's relationship to the fjord landscape that gave it its distinctive character. His multiple depictions of Åsgårdstrand from different vantage points created a comprehensive visual documentation of the place that was most important to his summer life.

Munch renders the Åsgårdstrand village with his characteristic directness — the settlement's specific character (its wooden houses, its relationship to the fjord, and the quality of the coastal light) depicted with his loose, expressive handling. His palette in these coastal Norwegian subjects tends toward the warm greens, blues, and ochres of the Norwegian summer fjord landscape. The composition's specific vantage point creates a different spatial relationship to the village than his garden subjects.