Nevertheless...

Nevertheless, one is indirectly forced to wonder about the man’s stance; why is he not trying to protect himself? Is it possible that he is trying to erase his sins? Is he trying to eradicate a sense of guilt? Driven by sexual desire, he is driven to the woman for relief; nevertheless, he falls victim to the consequences of his desires (Zogaris, 24). In terms of Heidegger, another analysis could be developed.

It is possible to view the woman as an authentic being, while the man, perhaps in this case, “Das Man,” is ‘being punished’ for his lack of authenticity. One could also think in terms of being-towards-death. The man senses “the painful brevity of (his) time and the arbitrariness of life that is not really in [his] control” (Lacoque and Loeb, 95), which is why he is passively ‘giving in’ to the woman.

Dasein throws itself into being-towards-death in the act of love as well as through love and/or care, which encompasses both death and guilt (Kroug, 404). In Ashes (1894), the spectator is primarily faced with a troubled woman, grasping her head, dressed in a white half-open dress with long, flowing red hair. The man in the painting seems to be intentionally hiding his face. The setting is rather clear; a dark forest.

The protagonist, the woman, stares straight-ahead - meeting the spectator with terror in her eyes, as opposed to looking at her lover. Her red hair extends to the man, trying to envelop or devour him (Schneede, 61). She is dressed in white, symbolizing the innocent virgin in accord with the majority of Munch’s paintings.

Nevertheless, it is clear that her dress is half-open; in addition to her flowing hair, she is gradually losing her virginal qualities - because presumably an erotic act has taken place (Zogaris, 24) - and turning into the artist’s femme fatal. The enveloping hair is present to remind the couple of what was, or remains, a sign of pain (Schneede, 61). One could also look at this depiction in terms of original sin; the work presents a paradise lost, a break with an illusionary world.

In more metaphorical terms, the figures in this painting have torn the veil of maya and are entering into their authentic existence. Echoing Vampire (1893), here, too, the sexual act has a negative impact on the man; it has driven him away in despair (Zogaris, 24). It is vital to note that in the 1980s “sexuality was seen as an overwhelming force embodied in the woman as seductress to which man must submit” (Slatkin, 13).