Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch and his contributions

Edvard Munch (1863 – 1944) was a graphic artist and Norwegian painter. He is best known for his notable works- The Scream, The Sick Child, and Madonna. His work on The Scream was considered as one of the world art's iconic images. When he was a child, he was overshadowed by grief, illness, and the dread of inheriting a mental condition. Later, he was very much influenced by the nihilist Hans Jaeger at the Royal School of Art and Design in Kristiania. At this time, he started to live the life of a bohemian. Nihilist Hans Jaeger asked him to paint his own psychological and emotional state of mind. This soul painting of Edvard Munch had achieved a new status for his distinctive style of paintings. 

Edvard Munch had traveled to many places and gained new outlets, ideas, and new influences. He learned many things from Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, Vincent van Gogh, and Paul Gauguin when traveling to Paris. He also learned the best ways of using colors. After that, he traveled to Berlin, where he got influenced by the Swedish dramatist August Strindberg. He painted The Frieze of Life with a series of deeply-felt themes, including steeped, jealousy and betrayal, love, and anxiety.

His Early Life: 

Edvard Munch was born on 12 December 1863. He was born in a rustic farmhouse located in Adalsbruk, Loten, Norway. His mother's name was Laura Catherine Bjolstad, and his father's name was Christian Munch, a practicing physician. His siblings were Brother Peter, sisters Laura Catherine, Johanne Sophie, and Inger Marie. In 1864, their family shifted to Oslo because of his father's job at Akershus Fortress as a medical officer. In 1868, His mother died due to tuberculosis, and one year after that, he also lost his favorite sister Sophie. After that, his father also faced quasi-spiritual visions as well as fits of anger and depression. 

Moreover, Edvard Munch and their siblings listened to the lessons in history and religion and ghost stories of Edgar Allan Poe from his father. From this, the young Munch had developed anxiety with death. Additionally, he had a frail immune system that kept him out of school for several months. He frequently got ill, so he spent much of his time in watercolor painting and drawing. In his teenage, he adopted art as his preoccupation. When he reached 13 years of age, he got very much influenced by the fledgling Norwegian Art Association's work and the landscape paintings of their groups. After that, he tried to copy these works and learned many techniques regarding oil paintings. 

His Early Career:

In 1880, Edvard Munch had adopted the bohemian lifestyle and discovered the writings of Hans Seger, who was an anarchist philosopher and was the head of the Kristiania-Boheme group. They both build a strong friendship, which encouraged Munch to draw his personal experiences. Between 1885 and 1886, he published his work -The Sick Child, where he mentioned the memorial to his deceased sister Sophie. In 1886, this painting work was published as A Study in Kristiania, where it received many critics for its unconventional qualities. Many criticized it for its unfinished appearance, and some had criticized it for its scratched paint surface.

After that, Edvard Munch traveled to Parish in 1889 to continue his study at the Leon Bonnat. In 1884, he painted "Morning," which was received the Norwegian pavilion of the Exposition Universelle. He was included much of his personal loss stories and frequent themes of death in his painting work.

In 1884, he lost his father, where he generated another interest in symbolism and spirituality. His interest can be evident in his work Night in St. Cloud, which was painted in 1890. This painting showed the brooding painting of an empty room; he made it in the memory of his father. 

His Notable and Famous Works: 

• Harald Norregaard: This painting was painted by Munch in the year 1899. This painting is reflecting one of my closest friends, Munch, who was a lawyer and adviser. Presently, it can be seen at National Gallery. 
• The Sick Child: This painting was painted by Munch in the memory of his older sister Johanne Sophie who died because of tuberculosis when she was 15. This painting was published in 1907.
• The Scream: This painting's original name was given by Munch in Germany is Der Schrei der Natur (The Scream of Nature). But, in English, it has been changed to The Scream by Norwegian Expressionist artist Edvard Munch, and it was published in 1893. Moreover, this painting is showing the anxiety of the human condition.
• Madonna: The painter Edvard Munch has given this name to many of his versions of paintings. This painting represents a bare-breasted half-length figure of a female, which was published between 1894 and 1895. This painting version can be found at Munch Museum.
• Puberty: This painting was published in1895. The painting of Puberty was related to both expressionism and symbolism. This painting is a part of an informal series called The Frieze of Life (1890). This painting had used etching and lithograph. 
• The Dance of Life: This painting was published between 1899 and 1900. It is made with oil on canvas. It has a dimension of 126 cm × 191 cm; presently, it can be found at Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo.
• Anxiety: This painting was painted in 1894. It had the dimension of 94 cm × 74 cm. It can be found at Munch Museum, Oslo.
• Love and Pain (Vampire): This painting was published in 1895. It had the dimension of 91 cm × 109 cm. These days, it can be seen at Munch Museum, Oslo.

Edvard Munch took his last breath in Oslo, Norway, on 23 January 1944. At this time, he was in his 80 and had contributed many notable works to the world's art. If you want to have his famous painting work for yourself, you should look for museum-quality reproductions with professional services.