The Madonna by Edvard Munch and Regina Harris Perfume Oil

Edvard Munch, Norwegian painter, lithographer, etcher, and wood engraver, is considered to be one of the most significant influences on the development of German and Central European expressionism. Munch's disquieting and tortuous art reflected the conflicts of his time, and his own unhappy life. His Madonna is not typically demure and full of inner light. She is dark, provocative and somehow troubled. Sensual, mysterious and tragic. Very intense. "The pause during which the entire world halts in its orbit. Your face embodies all the beauty of the world. Your lips, as crimson as a ripe fruit, are half open as if to express pain. A corpse's smile. Here life and death shake hands. The chain that links thousands of past generations to the thousands to come has been meshed." (Edvard Munch) Regina Harris Perfume Oil, also known as Frankincense Myrrh Rose Maroc Perfume Oil, is for me an olfactory equivalent of that painting. It is alluring, disturbing and mysterious. This is an Expressionist scent, with the notes of frankincense, myrrh and rose distorted and exaggerated to achieve an unsettling, dark and simmering fragrance. The notes are rich and complex and very smoothly blended. Lasting power is exceptional, the bottle is stunning, and, even though the price is rather high at $125 for 15ml, this scent keeps calling to me and one day I am hoping to have it in my collection. * The Madonna by Edvard Munch, 1894-5, Oil on canvas, Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo