Jessica Levy 200921250 Activity 2: Your Favourite Contemporary Artist

Edvard Munch (12 December 1863- 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter and printmaker whose powerful psychological themes were built upon some of the main beliefs of late 19th century symbolism and greatly influenced German Expressionism in the early 20th century. His family, descended from Norways cultural aristocracy but economically poor. Unable to move freely among the educated and social lite, they experienced at the same time the illnesses that severely impacted the Scandinavian urban working class: tuberculosis and bronchitis. Weakened after the birth of her fifth child, Edvard Munchs mother give way to tuberculosis in 1868, as did his oldest sibling, Sophie, in 1877. After the deaths of his wife and daughter, his father suffered periodic fits of deep depression and a violent temper, accompanied by fanatical visions of his own which had affected his surviving children. The constant experience of illness, hallucination, death and rejection provided the basic shape of Edvard Munchs character. Edvard Munch [sa] stated that I was born dying, sickness, insanity and death were the dark angels standing guard at my cradle and they have followed me throughout my life. This dramatic self-representation also gives reflective shape to his art. Edvard Munch briefly studied engineering following his fathers wishes and after that against his fathers wished he decided to study sculpture under Julius Middelthun. In 1882 he rented a studio with six other artists, supervised by the painter Christian Krohg, and in autumn 1883 he attended Frits Thaulows Friluftsakademi at Modum. Munch soon added to his academic training experiments in a semi-Impressionist Naturalism, as supported by Krohg and Thaulow in their efforts to create a national landscape style based on plein-air painting and influenced by the contemporary art of Paris. This new style also emphasized the process of Norwegian independence from Sweden, linked with legislative liberalism and ideas of radical social reform. In 1882 Munch took part in the organization of the first Hstutstilling, Hstutstilling was held as a radical protest against the established middle class dominance in Christiania Kunstforening and that it would not let an artist jury decide the purchases for the association's annual exhibition and to be free of the Norwegian Kunstforenings sponsorship and censorship; as subject-matter the artists exhibiting selected the life of the urban poor in addition to Norwegian landscapes. His symbolist and expressionist works have a deeply personal connection with me. My art allows me to express myself in ways I could not describe in words. Although many people have dealt with certain situations as Edvard Munch has, I have some similarities to him I have come into situations such as loss, illness, constant disappointment, financial struggles, depression and close to death situations. I find in the way he has dealt with many situations I have dealt with in a similar way. I see myself as fighting my depression through my art work, I see my art work as well as his as away to say how we feel through art whether its painting, printing or digital etc. I feel that Munch explored his emotions through his paint brush. Id like to think that of myself. As I analyse The Cry or The Scream (1893) Munch expresses feelings of despair, anguish, fear and many other mixed emotions. The central figure seems to have its hands over its ears screaming or crying as its being screamed at. In the distance you see to figures walking away. In my opinion the figure seems to be screaming as I think that he feels that everyone has left him. The scenery is of a sunset over a body of water. I think that the anxiety of being alone influenced him to paint this.The Cry or The Scream was painted using tempera and pastel on board. The brush strokes cause the scene to appear to swirl, giving it a sense of motion. (See figure 1) In one of my painting I shall call for now The blue angel influenced by The Scream there is an elongated figure in the centre. She is hunched over holding her head, in a crying position. There is a light shade in her centre giving a sense of her regaining strength. Her wings are multi coloured symbolizing strength even though she is in pain. She is sitting on a roof or a walkway, a symbol of being left by herself or a symbol of her

being in everyones way. In the background there is a dark sky with a bright moon. The brush strokes in the background also appear to swirl giving a sense of motion. The Blue Angel was painted in acrylic paint. Whenever I look at this painting I always get the feeling that one day everything will be alright. I want people to be able to see that too. (See figure 2) Word count: 802

Figure 1: The Scream or The Cry Edvard Munch

Figure 2

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Britannica, Edvard Munch Norwegian Artist. [Online] Available at: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/397389/Edvard-Munch. [Accessed 2012/08/02]. Frank Hifdt, Biography of Edvard Munch. [Online] Available at: http://users.skynet.be/lotus/art/munch-en.htm. [Accessed 2012/08/03]. Lotus, 2012. A Being Under Influences. [Online] Available at: http://users.skynet.be/lotus/art/munch-en.htm. [Accessed 2012/08/02]. Tate Gallery, 2012. Edvard Munch. [Online] Available at: http://www.tate.org.uk/whats-on/tate-modern/exhibition/edvard-munchmodern-eye. [Accessed 2012/08/02]. Unknown, Edvard Munch. [Online] Available at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_Munch. [Accessed 2012/08/02].