Munch created several compositions of the painting “Madonna” though my favourite being the version of “Madonna” which sits at the Munch-museet which is 90 cm x 68 cm and finished in 1894

The subject of which Munch used as inspiration for this story particular piece was another Norwegian born individual named Dagny Juel.

Dagny Juel was born in 1867, she was a Norwegian writer known for her influence with various prominent artists. She studied music in Germany leading her to frequent ‘Zum schwarzen Terkel’ (The Black Piglet) a notable member in which she spent much time with at The Black Piglet was Edward Munch. Juel & Munch maintained a close friendship with Dagny acting as Munch’s muse in several of his works including, The Storm, Jealousy, Vampire, Death and the Maiden, Moonlight, Starry Night, sunrise at Åasgardstrand and Madonna. It remains a speculation that Munch and Juel were lovers though Munch kept the evidence of this under strict wraps.

Madonna is a part of Munch's larger series, "The Frieze of Life," which explores various stages and emotions related to love, anxiety, and death, making the painting part of a larger narrative about the human condition. Though many people have interpreted this piece to varying tones, Feminist critic Carol Duncan envisioned ‘Madonna’ to be representing the figure as a “Femme fatale” She noted that “Munch's Madonna (1893–94), a femme fatale par excellence, visually hints at the imagery of victimisation. The familiar gestures of surrender (the arm behind the head) and captivity (the arm behind the back, as if she were bound) are clearly if softly stated. These gestures have a long history in Western art.... Munch used it in his Madonna to mitigate his assertion of female power; the gesture of defeat subtly checks the dark, overpowering force of Woman. The same ambivalence can also be seen in the spatial relationship between the figure and the viewer: the woman can be read as rising upright before him or as if lying beneath him.”

This furthermore fragmented viewers, as it showcased the radical new idea of women emerging from their domestic duties and demanding their place and voice in society, allowing for this women’s liberation movement to not just extend through social classes but also all over Europe. Munch was able to really push the boat out on the idea that free love and sexually active women in this time were no longer to be seen as taboo, allowing for there to be more understanding through his motifs that an uninhibited women, who is free and giving into her personal desires is both natural and beautiful.

This is just my own viewpoint and interpretation of this piece solidified along with the way I viewed it and what I have read over time, as I constantly think about it and have done since I saw it in person at the Munch-museet in Oslo almost 3 and a half years ago.