“Stop to see this powerful drypoint print, where a solitary, anguished figure with sharp, almost bird-like features seems to emerge from darkness, capturing a raw emotional intensity through its stark lines and dramatic pose.”
In Edvard Munch's "Harpy," a solitary figure emerges from a stark, almost abstract background, her form a study in angularity and tension. Her head is thrown back, mouth open in a silent cry, while her hands are raised, seemingly in anguish or defense. The drypoint technique, with its incisive lines, lends a raw, almost visceral quality to the image, emphasizing the figure's gaunt features and the starkness of her surroundings. The sense of isolation is palpable, intensified by the dark, undefined space that envelops her. This work, created in 1894, captures a moment of intense psychological drama, a hallmark of the Symbolist and Expressionist movements that sought to externalize inner emotional states rather than merely depict objective reality.
- Artist
- Edvard Munch
- Date
- 1894
- Medium
- Drypoint in black ink on heavyweight off-white wove plate paper
- Location
- Art Institute of Chicago
- Dimensions
- Image: 28.3 × 21.5 cm (11 3/16 × 8 1/2 in.); Plate: 29.8 × 22.9 cm (11 3/4 × 9 1/16 in.); Sheet: 62 × 44.7 cm (24 7/16 × 17 5/8 in.)
- Collection
- Prints and Drawings
- Culture
- Norway
- Credit line
- Clarence Buckingham Collection
What to Notice
Four details hide in plain sight. Here’s where to look.

The sharp, almost claw-like fingers of the figure's raised hands.
The way the drypoint lines create a sense of vibrating energy around her form.
The stark contrast between the figure and the dark, unarticulated background.
The open mouth and upturned face, suggesting a silent scream or lament.
Stand in front of it and listen
The full narration walks you through Harpy — the story behind it, the details most visitors miss, and why it matters. Free in the Art Whisper app.
Edvard Munch
1863–1944 · NorwayNorwegian painter whose 1893 work The Scream became one of Western art's most iconic images.
Further Works by Munch
Potted Plant
1881 · Munch Museum
The Sick Child
1885 · National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
The Hands
1893 · Munch Museum
The Kiss
1897 · Munch Museum
Consolation
1907 · Munch Museum
Two Women on the Shore
1935 · Munch Museum
Man Bathing
1899 · Art Institute of Chicago
Herbert Esche's Daughter
1905 · Art Institute of Chicago
More from Symbolism
The Seine at Pont de Grenelle
Gauguin · 1875 · Wallraf–Richartz Museum
Beata Beatrix
Rossetti · 1877 · Birmingham Museums Trust
Lozenge Composition with Yellow, Black, Blue, Red, and Gray
Mondrian · 1921 · Art Institute of Chicago
Portrait of a Lady in a High Hat
Klimt · 1882 · Art Institute of Chicago
More works to explore
Beyond Munch and Symbolism: works from the same years, and from the other movements Harpy belongs to.
Same movement · Expressionism
Cart with Red and White Ox
Vincent van Gogh · 1884 · Kröller-Müller Museum
Same era · 1870s–1900s
A Woman Walking in a Garden
Vincent van Gogh · 1887 · Frans Buffa & sons
Same movement · Expressionism
Birth
Marc Chagall · 1911 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Still Life with Crayfish
Mikhail Larionov · 1900 · Museum Ludwig
Same movement · Expressionism
Crouching Nude in Shoes and Black Stockings, Back View
Egon Schiele · 1912 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1870s–1900s
A Sunday on La Grande Jatte — 1884
Okada Saburosuke · 1884 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Expressionism
Death in the Garden (Legend)
Paul Klee · 1919 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Madame Léon Clapisson
Léon-Victor Dupré · 1883 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same movement · Expressionism
Figure with Meat
Francis Bacon · 1954 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Frauenkopf vor Sonnenblumen
Ernst Ludwig Kirchner · 1906 · Museum Frieder Burda
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Aha oe feii? (What! Are You Jealous?)
Paul Gauguin · 1894 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
The Sofa
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec · 1894 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Woman Bathing Her Feet in a Brook
Camille Pissarro · 1894 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
House and Courtyard
John Singer Sargent · 1895 · The Metropolitan Museum of Art
Same era · 1870s–1900s
The Child's Bath
Mary Cassatt · 1893 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
The Loire
Alfred Sisley · 1896 · Art Institute of Chicago
Same era · 1870s–1900s
Poppy Field (Giverny)
Claude Monet · 1891 · Art Institute of Chicago
