Edvard Munch
Munch in 1933
Detail of a self portrait.
Below are a few words on Munch. I expect I will add more over time.
The Scream 1893
Everyone knows the Scream by Munch. I like that painting. I also like his other work, though I don’t think anything else he did would be recognized by a wider audience.
What I appreciate about Much include his penchant for redoing the same work over and over again. (He did several versions of the Scream). Down below you can see one of my favorite paintings by Munch where he is capturing the qualities of moonlight with his Saint Cloud series showing a man by a window contemplating things. His doing several renditions of a work was a typical practice for Munch.
From what I have gathered, Munch seems to have lived a fairly solitary life. My understanding is that he was successful enough to live, but he cared little for selling his work which had a following. If he did sell a work, it is said he would feel the loss and then paint another copy of it.
I’ve read in a couple of spots that Munch would ‘petina’ his paintings by leaving them outside in the weather. Some of his work would be outside for months at a time.
Below are a few example landscapes that I admire. There are 1000s of Munch drawings and paintings that can be found at his catalog raisonne.
Current Opinions on Munch
(Note: My opinions change over time)
I seem to always find more to appreciate about Munch when I spend time looking at what he did. I don’t think that any of his works are readily accessible. By this I mean that none of his works are pieces that make you stop and get the gestalt impact (other than the Scream paintings). Instead his works require the viewer to take the time to look at them before they start impacting a person.
Munch is having a moment. 20th century figurative painting is finding a renewed interest. Munch is at the forefront of this and deservedly so.