Most of Georg Baselitz's works contain references to Munch. His pen and ink drawings of heads have a Munch-like quality, a keen poignancy of line which calls to mind Munch's central works of the 1890s as well as his late self-portraits.

Triangle Between Arm and Body of 1977 belongs to a self-portrait series from the 1970s. Several of these build on the triangle form in a number of variations. The model for this motif is Munch's At the Baths (1940-42), which in turn builds upon a late classical work, Apoxymenos by Lysippos. In that work, the man raises his arm in order to dry off his wet body. The motif is thus associated with a particular event. Baselitz by contrast is exclusively interested in the form of the motif, the triangular composition formed between the raised arm and the body. This raised arm in Baselitz has been interpreted as a Nazi salute. In this way, the artist manages to transform an innocent, classical pose into a political statement.

Baselitz turns his motifs on their heads. Like Brecht's "Verfremdungseffekt" in the theatre, this approach totally precludes any empathy with the motif. In relation to Munch's work, it may also be a way of avoiding too direct a transfer of meaning from Munch to Baselitz's own works.

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