Edvard Munch, The Urn 1896 Black and White Symbolist Art Print

There is a profound, echoing silence in the deep blacks of this 1896 lithograph. The composition centers on a dark, vessel-like form that gives way to a woman’s ethereal face, her hair spiraling outward like smoke or tangled roots. This print utilizes the stark contrast of ink and paper to explore the intersection of life, death, and memory through the lens of late 19th-century Symbolism. At the base, smaller, almost skeletal figures seem to rise from the shadows, anchoring the work in the macabre fascination that defined much of the artist’s early graphic output.

The artwork evokes a sense of introspective melancholy, inviting the viewer into a space where the physical and spiritual worlds blur. Rather than a literal depiction, it represents an emotional state, capturing the weight of grief or the permanence of the past. The fluid, expressive lines of the woman’s hair create a rhythmic movement that contrasts against the solid, heavy presence of the urn, creating a tension that is characteristic of the Expressionist movement’s earliest roots. It is a piece that demands quiet contemplation and a willingness to sit with uncomfortable, yet beautiful, themes.

It earns its spot in a wall of edvard munch posters, with expressionist art prints making an easy companion.