Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch was born in Loten, Norway on December 12, 1863. He began painting at the age of 17 and after receiving a grant went to Paris to study painting in 1885. During his career he worked primarily in Paris and Berlin. Munch's angst-ridden work was fueled by chilhood trauma; his mother and sister died of tuberculosis. The basis of much of Munch's work throughout his career was his grand idea of the Frieze of Life, a series of paintings that should form a coherent sequence and would ideally be hung together in one location. Many of Munch's individual subjects were approached as part of this scheme, although they followed no consistency of size or proportion. These included recurring themes such as The Scream, The Kiss, The Dance of Life and The Death Room. No one could be persuaded to issue a commission for the Frieze and the works were gradually sold off separately. Much's work attracted attention. In 1892 an exhibition of his work opened in Berlin, at the invitation of the Association of Berlin Painters, but caused an uproar and was quickly closed down. In the following year Munch painted The Scream and a second version was produced as a lithograph in 1895. Most of Munch's paintings are in Norway. His own collection is at the Munch Museet. He also worked in etching, lithography and woodcut. Munch died in Oslo January 23, 1944.

Edvard Munch Images:
Amor And Psyche
Four Girls on a Bridge
Jealousy
Summer Night’s Dream
The Scream
Vampire, 1895