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WHO IS EDVARD MUNCH, EXPRESSIONIST PAINTER ?
A popular Norwegian painter, Edvard Munch was the pioneer of the expressionist movement in painting in the 20th century. He was considered the father of symbolism and a major figure of post-impressionism.
Anxious by nature, this painter left behind exceptional, tortured and complex works.
One of the paintings sold at an exorbitant price, The Scream is one of his famous works. Today, these works still attract the world.
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The life of Edvard
Born in 1863 in Norway and died in 1944, Edvard had a complicated childhood marked by several successive dramas. As a military doctor, his father was forced to move often with his entire family. His mother was very attracted to art and introduced Munch's sister to painting. After his mother's death, his father became manic-depressive.
Growing up in this deplorable climate, Edvard lived for a long time with terrible nightmares, which deteriorated his mental state and considerably influenced his artistic work. In addition to the illness that was inseparable from his family, the ghosts of death kept haunting him. Edvard lived with one of his sisters for quite some time, but they both remained single until their deaths.
At 16, Edvard Munch wanted to become a painter. His father was disappointed with his decision, but allowed him to study at the Oslo School of Design. Later, he entered the Oslo School of Arts and Crafts to learn painting and sculpture.
In 1889 in Paris, he discovered the post-impressionist movements that did not accept realism and naturalism. It is from this moment that he decides to be inspired by them for his paintings. In the 1890s, he began to produce his most talented masterpieces. His career was crowned with success and he was recognized during his lifetime.
key artworks of Edvard munch
Among his paintings, here are the most famous, those which hold the attention of the critics, the collectors and the amateurs of contemporary art.
The sick child (1885-1886)
Also called The Sick Girl, this painting expresses the artist's own life. The sick girl in the painting is none other than her older sister Sophie who died at the age of fifteen from tuberculosis.
The Scream (1893)
In the history of contemporary art, this is one of the most famous masterpieces that has been reinterpreted many times. Representing an almost mummified figure, the artist covers his ears during a walk with friends. Perhaps he wants to escape an unbearable scream?
Vampire (1893)
Munch shows an intimate scene with a disturbing redheaded woman with loose hair. The painting shows her picture with her lover whom she covers with her sprawling hair and graces with a deadly kiss. It seems that the couple's union is under the sway of a form of alienation foreshadowing an unhappy destiny.
Night in Saint-Cloud (1890)
Painted after the death of his father, this canvas marks the new style of the painter towards symbolism. In mourning, he represents himself with dark colors: black suit with top hat. With sadness, depression and dejection, he contemplates the Parisian night.
Madone (1894-1895)
With five versions, the best known of which is an oil on canva, Madonna shows a woman expressing her sensuality in the act of love. The artist uses two colors: red symbolizes love and black represents death.
Self-portrait, between the clock and the bed (1940-1943)
With this somewhat late painting, the painter presents himself as a prisoner of time who is stuck between the passing hours and his bed. All alone and aged, he remains in a mortal immobility. As he announced his death through the shadow of the cross drawn on the ground next to his foot.
the scream by edvard munch, a key expressionnist painting
For the record, this painting, kept in the Nasjonalmuseet in Norway, has a cryptic inscription in the upper left corner that reads in Norwegian: "Can only have been painted by a madman". Much ink was spilled about the author of the pamphlet, who turned out to be Munch himself.
Today, The Scream is considered the main work. It shows a new way of creating art through its vivid and surreal colors. It is a turning point between the symbolist and expressionist movements. In 2012, one of the versions of The Scream sold at Sotheby's New York for $119.92 million.
What does The Scream represent?
Let's start by quoting the artist himself who wrote:
"I was walking along a path with two friends - the sun was setting - all of a sudden the sky turned blood red. I stopped, tired, and leaned on a fence - there was blood and tongues of fire over the blue-black fjord of the city - my friends continued, and I stayed there, trembling with anxiety - I felt an infinite cry that passed through the universe and tore nature apart."
You read that right! Contrary to popular belief, the screams come from nature, not the characters. The character seems frightened and covers his ears to muffle a deafening scream.
According to some scientists, this cry, this noise, could be related to natural phenomena. In 1883, the Indonesian volcano Krakatoa erupted violently, creating the loudest deafening noise in the world. The earthquake is believed to have circled the earth seven times and produced a noise so powerful that it could be heard 3,000 miles away.
The eruption is also believed to have released millions of particles of volcanic ash into the atmosphere, scattering them as far away as Norway, whose sky was tinged red.
Another theory concerns the artist's tormented personality. Munch lived next door to the psychiatric hospital where his sister was held. A scream may be a sign of his fear and pain.
The Scream in Popular Culture
The work is now one of the most famous masterpieces in the world. It has been the subject of several parodies:
Mommy Missed the Plane, whose poster shows Macaulay Culkin imitating the main character of Munch's painting
the mask of the killer from the Scream movie series
the emoji 😱
and no, the Munch series is not related to the artist
Edvard Munch's works today
Before his death, Edvard bequeathed his 1006 paintings to the city of Oslo. There were others, but he had disposed of them long before. Today, these 1006 paintings are housed in the Munch Museum in Oslo along with other personal collections of the painter: letters, photographs, manuscripts, personal objects...
The Munch Museum contains a total of 42,000 objects belonging to the painter. 28,000 of these are drawings, illustrations, sculptures, paintings... A large collection of Munch's contemporary art is also on display at the National Gallery in Oslo, including the famous 1893 version of The Scream.
According to an inventory of Edvard's works in 2008, he would have made nearly 1789 paintings throughout his career as an artist. Lost, destroyed and burned paintings and works that are not paintings are not included in this number.
the contemporary art collection inspired by the paintings of Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch's works have left their mark on popular culture, but contemporary artists have also been influenced by them. That's why we present a collection of unique works of art, complete with certificates of authenticity. How would you like to have a representation of The Scream in your home? Declined in pop-art, it will give a shifted and cultivated side to your interior.
Do like our artists, make Edvard Munch's paintings your own
Buy unique works, better than Edvard Munch reproductions and posters You might be tempted to buy a copy of Munch's work to decorate your home with a touch of modern art. We all want to have an original in our home, but unfortunately our wallets don't allow it! Plus, there's a good chance it belongs in a museum.
Choose artworks influenced by Munch rather than reproductions and posters
No matter how good a copy is or how effective a print is, the passion and intent visible in the original painting will never be seen in the thousands of reproductions made. Thousands means standardized wall decorations. But don't you want a special interior that looks like no other?
Forget about light-reflecting posters, printed reproductions and soulless paintings, buy unique paintings and sculptures. Instead, opt for unique pieces created with heart and passion by contemporary artists. What if your choice was a future masterpiece?
