Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch

Norwegian painter and printmaker Edvard Munch believed that art should "arrest and engage," not be "pretty pictures to be hung on drawing-room walls."¹

Munch became Norway's most prominent artist in the late 19th century, his controversial work often dividing the art world. His 1893 expressionist work, The Scream, is still one of the world's most famous paintings.² Munch created 50 different variations of this composition in his lifetime.

Fast Facts

Born: 1863
Birthplace: Norway
Family members suffered from poor health and mental problems³
First paintings were naturalistic and realistic³
Lived and worked in Germany for several years⁴
Best known work: The Scream⁵
Munch produced several versions of The Scream⁶
Lived as a recluse in later years, refusing to sell paintings⁷
Died: 1944, aged 81
Left 1,100 paintings, 18,000 prints, 4,500 watercolors and drawings, and six sculptures to the city of Oslo⁸

Reception

At the end of the 19th century, critics called Munch's paintings "visions of a sick brain" that "have absolutely no connection with art."⁹ By 1920, Munch’s work had begun to receive international recognition.¹⁰

The Scream

When it was first exhibited in Munich in 1893, The Scream caused a scandal. Over the past century, however, the painting has become one of the most recognized paintings in the world. In the words of one critic, The Scream "has become the image of modern man: totally stressed out and angst-ridden."¹¹

Two different versions of The Scream have been stolen from Norwegian galleries, one in 1994 and the other in 2004. Both have been recovered.

Quotations

We should no longer paint interiors with people reading and women knitting, they should be people who live, breathe, feel, suffer and love." —Edvard Munch¹²

"By painting colors and lines and forms seen in quickened mood I was seeking to make this mood vibrate as a phonograph does."—Edvard Munch¹³

"My fear of life is necessary to me... My sufferings are part of my self and my art."—Edvard Munch¹⁴

Categories

History | European History | Art | Artists

| View Note History

The Mahalo Top 7

Wikipedia: Edvard Munch
Munch Museum: The Life of Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch: The Dance of Life
WebMuseum: Munch, Edvard
Metropolitan News Company: Edvard Munch, Father of Expressionism
Bienal: Edvard Munch
Video: Evdard Munch (Time: 3:12)

Edvard Munch Background and Profiles

Munch Museum: Edvard Munch as a Painter | As a Graphic Artist
The Museum of Modern Art: Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863-1944)
Go Norway: Edvard Munch
Art Noir: Edvard Munch and Camera
Smithsonian Magazine: Edvard Munch Beyond The Scream (March 2006)

Formative Years

The Museum of Modern Art: Childhood and Early Work, to 1884 | 1884–9 | Paris 1889-92
Munch Museum: Munch Becoming "Munch": Artistic Strategies 1880 - 1890 (328.36 KB)
Painters' Minds: Edvard Munch, Childhood and a Grave Decision (November 03, 2006)

Scandal, Controversy and Height of Creativity

The Museum of Modern Art: Berlin and the Major Cycles, 1892–1907
CNN.com: Munch-mysterious: Haunting at MoMA (February 20, 2006)
SEEcult.org: Munch - An Artist in His Own Time
Absolute Arts: Edvard Munch. 1912 in Germany
TIME: "Madman" Munch (June 17, 1957)
New York Art World: Edvard Munch: Paintings 1892-1917
Tate Britain: Paintings, Etchings and Lithographs by Edvard Munch

Fame and Retreat

The Museum of Modern Art: Edvard Munch 1908-44
The New York Times: "Munch Is More Than Just Scream" (April 16, 2002)
Edvard Munch: "A Celebrated Artist - Recluse" (February 14, 1937)
Olga's Gallery: Edvard Munch Works 1919 - 1940
Seen and Heard International: Edvard Munch - A Promise Unfulfilled
Humanities Web: Between Clock and Bed Self-Portrait (1940)

Edvard Munch Images and Media

Google Images: Edvard Munch Images
Google Video: Edvard Munch Videos
YouTube Video: Edvard Munch (Time 6:42)
YouTube Video: Edvard Munch - The Frieze of Life (Time 7:00)
YouTube Video: Edvard Munch (Time 8:29)
YouTube Video: Peter Watkins' Edvard Munch 1 (Time 10:00)
AllPosters: Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch Works Online

Edvard Munch: Gallery
Olga's Gallery: Edvard Munch
EdvardMunch.info: Edvard Munch Paintings and Gallery
Munch Museum: Internet Exhibitions
MundoFree.com: Munch
Bienal: Works 1891 - 1907 | Works 1913 - 1940
The Art Institute of Chicago: Edvard Munch Paintings | Graphic Works

Edvard Munch Books and Research

Amazon.com: Edvard Munch Books
Barnes and Noble: Edvard Munch Books
Powell's Books: Edvard Munch Books
Borders: Edvard Munch Books
Philadelphia Museum of Art: ...Origins and Meaning of...Painting by Edvard Munch (August 16, 2005)

Edvard Munch Blogs and Message Boards

Art News Blog: Edvard Munch News
Creative Suite: Artist Profile: Edvard Munch (July 12, 2007)
Tesserae: Munch Paintings Recovered (August 26, 2006)
Dyneslines: The Sexuality of Edvard Munch (March 6, 2006)
EdvardMunch.info: Edvard Munch Discussion Forum

Edvard Munch Timeline

1863: Born on December 12, in Loten, Norway.
1864: Family moves to Oslo.
1868: Mother Karen dies of tuberculosis.
1877: Sister Sophie dies of tuberculosis.
1881: Leaves technical college to study art under Christian Krohg.
1889: Exhibits 110 works at the Norwegian Students Association in Christiania.
1889: Attends Bonnat School of Art in Paris.
1892: Participates in the exhibition of the Union of Berlin Artists.
1892: Berlin exhibition closes after one week due to controversy.
1893: Takes up residence in Berlin.
1898-1902: Travels to Copenhagen, Berlin, Paris, Florence and Rome.
1902: Exhibits at the Berlin Secession.
1908: Suffers nervous breakdown.
1911-1016: Paints decorations for the Oslo University Aula.
1912: Works by Munch, Van Gogh, Gauguin and Cezanne at the Sonderbund exhibition in Cologne.
1913: Exhibits at the Autumn Exhibition in Berlin alongside Picasso.
1916: Purchases an estate near Oslo, where he settles permanently.
1944: Dies on January 23.

Edvard Munch in Popular Culture

IMDb: Edvard Munch (1974) (TV)

Edvard Munch Satire and Humor

CartoonStock: Edvard Munch Cartoons
Dynoxicon: The Scream - Edvard Munch
Absurd Art History: Reincarnated Edvard Munch Credits Prozac for his New Attitude Towards Life

Related Pages on Mahalo

Symbolism | Expressionism | Vincent Van Gogh | Ernst Ludwig Kirchner | Emil Nolde | Franz Marc | Gustav Klimt | Wassily Kandinsky | Pablo Picasso | Henri Matisse

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