A painting created by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch in 1893. It's oil on canvas, 36 x 24 inches. Munch painted four versions of this work, which was first displayed in Berlin in 1902.
It depicts a man laying his head in a woman's arms. The woman is leaning over him, comforting him or kissing his neck or biting his neck. Her long, red hair cascades down her arms, his back, and his head like a flood of scarlet water. The background is featureless, dark, and oppressive. Of the various versions of the painting, this one is my favorite.
It reportedly caused a colossal scandal when it debuted -- but really, find me a piece of famous art that didn't scandalize polite society. Polite society just loves getting scandalized by stuff. Years later, the Nazis declared it morally degenerate, but Nazis' opinions on moral degeneracy are not to be trusted.
Interestingly, the title Munch actually gave to this painting was "Love and Pain," and all he'd ever say about his interpretation of the piece was that it depicted a woman kissing a man on the neck. It was only years later that the more supernatural interpretation caught on, and the painting has been known as "Vampire" ever since.
There's no record of Munch's feelings on the painting's new name -- in fact, he may not have even been alive when "Vampire" became the popular name of the piece. Munch didn't paint any other works that had supernatural or occult themes, and I suspect he intended this one to be a man seeking solace from his life's anguish in the arms of a woman he loves.
But even if one assumes he didn't intend the painting to depict an actual vampire, he still may have been okay with the modern interpretation. We know that Munch had a bit of a morbid temperament -- no one who painted "The Scream" would have an entirely sunny disposition, and it's known that Munch's father entertained his children with Edgar Allan Poe stories when they were young. And considering the original title -- "Love and Pain" -- it's not out of the question that he intended the woman's red hair to look like blood. On the other hand, vampires didn't really become highly popular until after the painting was completed -- Bram Stoker's "Dracula" was published in 1897, just four years after the painting was finished -- but that doesn't mean that he might not have appreciated the happy coincidence that brought his painting and the undead together.
Research and art examples:
http://www.edvardmunch.org/vampire.jsp
http://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/art/news/exclusive-munchs-vampire-comes-out-of-the-dark-after-70-years-938944.html
https://fillingspaces.wordpress.com/2011/09/07/edvard-munchs-vampire/
http://www.edvard-munch.com/gallery/love/vampire.htm
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