The Role of the Artist

Two of Munch's works which seem to make an impression on me the most are, "The Dead Mother" and "Puberty".  These two situations are not commonly pictured in paintings and that is why I find them so interesting.  The child's facial expression and body language in "The Dead Mother" is so helpless and so naive. The innocence of the piece is impacting on my heart and my sympathy for that poor child that has to grow up without their mother. At the same time even though it is somewhat depressing Much seems to capture something very beautiful about the sadness in the painting. 

"Puberty" is the same kind of combination between sadness and beauty.  The little girl is losing her innocence and starting to become a woman. That can be a very difficult time for adolescents. They are trying to figure out who they are and come into their own person. They have so much to learn and in a lot of ways wish to just remain a child. It somewhat makes me sad when looking at it because the girl seems alone and scared to grow up. She is no longer care free and innocent. She now has to accept the responsibilities of becoming a woman and that can be very scary and intimidating for a child to accept.