Self-portrait.The night wanderer., 1923-24 Oil on canvas.

Munch's most famous paintings reflect his interior conflicts in intensely subjective images that are often morbid and disturbing. He spent most of his twenties in Paris and Berlin. Paul Gauguin's work particularly influenced him, demonstrating the possibilities of distilling intense emotions into universal experiences through simplified, sinuous forms and evocative blocks of pure color.
By validating the concept of painting one's emotional response to a subject, Munch pointed the way for the development of German Expressionist painting. His most ambitious work, The Frieze of Life, begun in 1888, was never completed. He hoped to create a room for this series of paintings to deal with "the modern life of the soul," but he ended up selling works individually and then making new versions of them. By 1900 Munch had created his most important works.

In 1908 he suffered a nervous breakdown, after which his paintings changed. Instead of the revelation of private despair, he looked into the world for more optimistic and universal symbols. Munch's prints, which often shared subject matter with his paintings, may have been his most influential creations.

The Scream, 1895. Edvard Munch (Norwegian, 1863–1944)
Lithograph

A text accompanying this drawing states: "I walked with two friends. Then the sun sank. Suddenly the sky turned as red as blood … My friends walked on, and I was left alone, trembling with fear. I felt as if all nature were filled with one mighty unending shriek."

Some art historians believe that the red sky in the background of The Scream reflects the unusually intense sunsets seen throughout the world, following the 1883 eruption of the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa.

Starry night, 1923-24. Oil on canvas.

After the Cultural Revolution in China ended, Munch was the first Western artist to have his pictures exhibited at the National Gallery in Beijing.

Anxiety, 1894

Oil on canvas.

Red Virginia Creeper, 1898-1900.

Oil on canvas.

"From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them and that is eternity." Edvard Munch.

My air conditioner is fixed, yay! Thanks to a wonderful reader...you know who you are! ;-)

N Posted by Rain at 7/19/2006 01:37:00 AM

5 Comments

 Lyndon posted at 4:35 AM  
For a rare change an artist I actual know. I've always liked the Starry Night painting.

Never seen the Red Virginia Creeper painting, a bit different from most of his paintings.

Interesting post as usual Rain.

 Anonymous posted at 1:30 PM  
I enjoyed this post. I don't think I've seen The Red Virginia Creeper painting either.

Glad your A.C. is working now!

 Anonymous posted at 3:18 PM  
Munch's work never fails to bring up that intense claustrophobic feeling of despair. I visited this virtual cemetary on the web once(I had no idea these existsed). The site was divided up into cause of death catagories. The visual image for the suicide catagory was Edvard Munch's 'Scream'. I was taken aback by this (wondering what relatives and friends might of thought about this representation).

 Anonymous posted at 9:54 AM  
His work kind of reminds me of Van Gough's. In fact, for a long time, I thought Van Gough had painted "The Scream" and not Munch. But my line of thinking was corrected in my Humanities 101 class. LOL.

 Geoffe posted at 10:13 AM  
Awsome atricle on a great artist. I wonder have they ever recovered the lost "Scream" yet?

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