World Famous Painters Collection - Munch

Author: He Zhengguang, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2003-01-01
Features: Edvard Munch (1863–1944), a genius in expressionist painting born in Norway, was an artist with multifaceted talents and a unique style. From the age of seventeen when he aspired to pursue art until his death at the age of eighty on January 1944, over sixty-three years, he created over 1,700 oil paintings, a vast number of sketches and studies, as well as 800 prints on various themes, employing diverse techniques and exuding vigorous energy. The most striking feature of Munch's artistic works is how he profoundly expressed the anxieties of life, the anguish of love, the fear of death, and the acceptance of life through landscapes, laborers, portraits, and self-portraits. His paintings also possess the sharpness and penetrating influence of the Danish playwright Ibsen. His relentless portrayal of the pain of life's passion and the fear of death reflects the existential anxieties of Norwegians. From Munch's paintings, we can sense humanity's helplessness when faced with the irresistible power of sex, the mystery of life, and the anxiety of sex replacing the romantic fear in aesthetics.
Edvard Munch (1863–1944), a genius in expressionist painting born in Norway, was an artist with multifaceted talents and a unique style. From the age of seventeen when he aspired to pursue art until his death at the age of eighty on January 1944, over sixty-three years, he created over 1,700 oil paintings, a vast number of sketches and studies, as well as 800 prints on various themes, employing diverse techniques and exuding vigorous energy. The most striking feature of Munch's artistic works is how he profoundly expressed the anxieties of life, the anguish of love, the fear of death, and the acceptance of life through landscapes, laborers, portraits, and self-portraits. His paintings also possess the sharpness and penetrating influence of the Danish playwright Ibsen. His relentless portrayal of the pain of life's passion and the fear of death reflects the existential anxieties of Norwegians. From Munch's paintings, we can sense humanity's helplessness when faced with the irresistible power of sex, the mystery of life, and the anxiety of sex replacing the romantic fear in aesthetics.
Works such as Puberty, The Kiss, and The Scream are among Munch's masterpieces. The Kiss touches upon the essence of life and the meaning of love; The Scream depicts the sudden shock that alters our perception of everything. The figure screaming on the bridge has hollowed cheeks resembling a skull, while the background of fire and blood swirls like a vortex, staining the sky red. We can never know why that person is screaming, which makes the painting even more unsettling. The year after The Scream, he painted Puberty, depicting a nude young girl sitting by the bedside, her long hair flowing behind her, her hands placed between her knees, revealing the anxiety in her heart. His style is deeply characterized by expressionism, also containing elements of mysticism and symbolism. He was admired by the young artists of Germany's "Bridge Group." On April 9, 1940, fourteen days after German Nazi forces invaded Norway, Munch left a will: "This house and all my works are donated to Oslo City."
In 1963, the Munch Museum in Oslo was officially opened, housing over 1,000 of Munch's works, photographs, manuscripts, and personal documents. These rich artistic collections not only provide later scholars with material for academic research but are also frequently lent for exhibitions in major cities around the world. As a result, Munch's art has received high evaluation in recent years. This book introduces not only his artistic career and major works but also selects and translates a monograph by a German scholar, Snijders, on Munch, titled "The Sick Child," offering readers a deeper understanding of his art.