Viking Magazine - Jul/Aug 2023 - 10

FAMOUS NORWEGIANS:
Edvard Munch
Beyond 'The Scream'
The Life and Work of Edvard Munch
A look into the tragic life and lesser-known works of one
of the most famous Norwegian artists
BY EMMA ENEBAK
WHETHER OR NOT YOU ARE AN ART ENTHUSIAST, you are likely to be familiar
with at least one piece from famous Norwegian painter Edvard Munch. " The
Scream, " or as originally titled in Norwegian, " Skrik, " is an autobiographical
piece painted by Munch in 1893. You can probably picture it in your mind, as
the image has been burned into the world's collective consciousness.
The painting features a ghastly-looking figure, thought to be
Munch himself, with both hands clenched against his face as his
mouth opens into a wide, presumably earth-shattering scream,
directed outward toward the beholder of the piece.
This dark and haunting figure, disappearing into the swirling
sky around him, has become one of the most widely recognizable
images of Western art. The worldwide fame and appreciation
achieved by " The Scream " has consequentially pushed some
of Munch's other paintings into the shadows. Through the
expanse of his difficult, rather lonely life, Munch amassed remarkable contributions
to modern art, in a portfolio that spans not just hundreds, but thousands
of unique pieces.
Munch never married or had any children, and with few living family members
left in his adulthood, it seemed he had little in the way of human associates. But
he had his paintings. The last 27 years of his life he spent alone, creating art in
isolation on his estate outside of Oslo. Upon his death in 1944, at age 80, Norwegian
authorities found a massive collection of over 1,000 paintings, 4,000
drawings and 15,000 prints scattered across his estate, all of which Munch had
bequeathed to the city of Oslo. Today, the MUNCH museum in Oslo holds
26,724 original works by Munch, accounting for one of the largest collections
of works by a single artist in the world-but this does not even fully encompass
his portfolio, with smaller concentrations held at various museums worldwide.
With the sheer size of this collection, it is not unimaginable to think that Munch
may have truly held a paintbrush to canvas to the very moment of his death.
Born in Norway in 1863, his childhood was plagued with tragedy from the very
beginning, with the loss of his mother at age 5, and his sister Sophie nine years
later, at age 14, both to tuberculosis. He himself struggled with tuberculosis as
a boy, coming close to death more than once. His other sister battled mental
illness for years, eventually institutionalizing her, and his only brother died
suddenly of pneumonia in his early adolescence.
These tragic beginnings, which Munch described in a private journal entry
as being filled with " illness and madness, and death, " became the source of
much inspiration for his artistic style. While his early educators and mentors
encouraged him to embrace the life-like renderings of Naturalism, Munch
Where to See
Munch's Work
Today, Munch's physical
works can be viewed at the
MUNCH Museum in Oslo,
which hosts a variety of
exhibitions and live programs
that offer a true introduction
to Munch's life and work.
The unusual and exciting
museum is the perfect
memorial for the long life
and impressive achievements
of Edvard Munch. However,
there are other ways to
experience these extraordinary
works around the globe:
" After Impressionism:
Inventing Modern Art "
The National Gallery, London
Through Aug. 13, 2023
" Edvard Munch:
Trembling Earth "
The Clark Art Institute,
Williamstown, MA
Through Oct. 15, 2023
" Magic of the North "
Berlinische Galerie Museum
of Modern Art, Berlin
Sept. 15, 2023-Jan. 22, 2024
10
Jul/Aug 2023
sonsofnorway.com
ARTWORK: NASJONALMUSEET; PHOTOS: MUNCH MUSEUM
http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - Jul/Aug 2023

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