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Madonna is the usual title given to several versions of a composition showing a bare-breasted half-length female figure created between 1892 and 1895. Munch produced at least five versions of the composition using oil on canvas and print form. Although it is a highly unusual representation, the composition might be of the Virgin Mary. Whether it is specifically intended as a representation of Mary is disputed.
Munch's Madonna, a femme fatale par excellence, visually hints at the imagery of victimization. The familiar gestures of surrender (the arm behind the head) and captivity (the arm behind the back, as if 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. Some critics suggested that Munch intended to represent the woman in the life-making act of intercourse, depicted as though recumbent beneath her lover. The sanctity and sensuality of the union are captured by Munch.
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