Art

Title: Vampire (originally called Love and Pain)
Artist: Edvard Munch
Date: 1895 (one of several versions)
Medium: Oil on canvas

About the Painting:

"Vampire" is one of Edvard Munch's most striking and emotionally charged works, exploring the complex and often destructive nature of love.
The painting depicts a woman with long, fiery red hair embracing a man, burying her face into his neck or shoulder.

Despite its later, more sensational title "Vampire," Munch himself originally called this painting "Love and Pain."
This original title better reflects the ambiguity of the scene: is it a tender embrace, an act of comfort, or a draining, consuming relationship?
The woman's cascading red hair often symbolizes passion, but also danger or a life force being absorbed.

The man's pale, hunched figure and the woman's dominant embrace create a powerful visual tension.
This work is a vivid exploration of the psychological dynamics within relationships, touching on themes of submission, obsession, and the potentially draining aspects of intimate connections.
It's a raw and visceral depiction of the darker side of human attachment.

Want to see an example of this frame with different art? Visit our in-world display