Creativity and biography of Edward Munch. Norwegian artist Edvard Munch

Today we will talk about the Norwegian painter and graphic artist, art theorist and theater artist Edward Munke. He is considered a representative of expressionism, and one of the first. His work has a great influence on contemporaries to this day. His paintings abound with themes of loneliness and death, as well as a thirst for life. This person created unique exciting pictures that literally dragged the viewer into another, strange and terrible world. E. Munch is a real talent and master of his craft. He painted pictures only when feelings and emotions overwhelmed him: after all, the real creators create masterpieces in this state.

Childhood

Artist Edward Munch, whose birth date falls on 1863, was born into a large family. His father, Christian, was a military doctor. Munch had an older sister, Johann Sophia, brother Andreas and two younger sisters, Laura and Inger. The family lived rather modestly, you can even say it's poor. But the Munki were well-educated and cultured people, so they staunchly endured their temporary situation. Their cultural roots were quite deep: the distant relative was a famous neoclassical artist, a disciple of Jacques-Louis David himself. Christian Munch's father was a preacher whom many knew and loved, and his brother, Peter Andreas Munch, is an excellent historian.

Throughout Edward's childhood, his family often moved from place to place. This was due to the debt of the father's service, and also because the lack of funds regularly forced the family to look for cheaper housing. Most often the family was in Christiania, Norway (now Oslo). The biography of Edward Munch since childhood has dark spots: at the age of 5 he lost his mother, who died of tuberculosis. And exactly after 10 years old sister Sophie died of the same disease. In his memoirs, E. Munk said that his father was always kind, but a big downside was his religiousness, which transcended all boundaries of common sense. Little Edward was often tormented by terrible visions of hell, because of this he grew up quite an anxious child. Much later, relatives recalled that the talent of drawing was manifested in the boy at a very young age.

As already mentioned, the sister of Edward, Sophie, died of tuberculosis. This was another blow for him, because they were very close. Many researchers of the life and work of the painter say that this was a turning point in the disappointment in religion. Norwegian artist Edvard Munk himself recalled that on that day his father rushed restlessly around the room, folding his hands in prayer, but could not help the poor girl. Later these memories formed the basis of the picture "Sick girl".

Becoming

The biography of Edward Munch continues for years. He goes to a technical college, where he studies perfectly the exact sciences. A guy often gets sick, but tries not to miss classes. Soon the young man makes an independent decision to leave the college to become an artist. In 1881 he entered the Royal School of Painting in Christiania. His mentor is a naturalist artist Christian Krogh. He quickly introduced the young man to the capital's bohemia. Thanks to Christian Krogh, Edward gets acquainted with the writer-anarchist Hans Eger. They quickly found a common language, and Munk often felt the influence of this man. In 1883, Edward's public debut took place - he presented the painting "Sketch of the head". At the end of the next year, he received a scholarship, which he went to France. In 1886, Munch presented his picture "Sick girl", critics took it very negatively. Munch disapproved of the rejection, and his next pictures were conservative.

Paris

Munch's paintings still participated in exhibitions. And the artist himself after a short break went to France. Here he attended the lessons of Leon Bonn, went to exhibitions. He experimented a lot with artistic styles, especially tried Impressionism and Pointillism. Soon Edward learns of the death of his father, and this news strikes him hard. He does not have time for funerals and falls into a prolonged depression. Edward Munch, whose work was going through a period of stagnation, came out of depression and creates one of the most famous paintings - "Night at St. Cloud".

"Frieze of life"

In 1890, the biography of Edward Munch slightly brightens: an exhibition of his paintings takes place in Christiania, where he receives more benevolent responses. Soon he goes to rest in Nice, and sees here the paintings of Van Gogh and Gauguin, which later will be admired. At this time, finally formed the style of Munch - clear lines, symbolic subjects and simple forms. Returning to Norway, he painted the paintings "Melancholy" and "The Frieze of Life." From the last picture, the famous "Scream" will soon grow. After a while he meets A. Norman, who is delighted with Edward's work. A wealthy patron arranges Munch personal exhibitions in Berlin. The artist's paintings receive a lot of positive reviews, he feels the real recognition for the first time. At this time, Munk has an affair with a rich Norwegian, which does not end with anything other than psychological trauma.

Disease

Because of a nervous novel, Munch begins to feel uneasy, but does not attach much importance to this. Soon he has another relationship with the violoncellist. But this novel ends with a difficult parting because of Munch's strange behavior. He begins to show aggressiveness and suspicion more and more often. A large number of people notice that Edward becomes quick-tempered and himself is asking for quarrels. In 1908 he was placed in a psychiatric hospital in Copenhagen with a diagnosis of mental disorder. He spends there half a year, actively engaged in creativity.

Late years

Edward Munch, interesting facts about which are not so numerous, can still tell something. So, he was often tormented by hallucinations, which he described in his diary. It is also believed that he was afraid of red-haired women. In recent years, his paintings have acquired more coarse features, but more peaceful subjects. In 1916 he bought a villa, where he engaged in gardening. Already in two years he falls ill with "Spaniard", but quickly recovers. In 1930, he had problems with vision, which is why he almost stopped writing. When Norway was occupied, Munch was called a "truly Nordic" artist. Soon the attitude of the Nazis to Edward changed and he was branded. In recent years he lived with fear that his paintings are confiscated from his own home. The artist died in 1944, a month after his 80th birthday.

"Scream"

Edward Munch - Impressionist, who was very popular due to his painting "Scream". In total there are 4 of its variants, which were written in the period of 1893-1910. Initially, the author called her "Despair." The man, overcome with horror in the picture, quickly became one of the most recognizable characters in art. One version of the picture is in the hands of an independent collector. The sale of the painting at the auction made "Scream" the most expensive work of art.

Kidning pictures

The biography of Edward Munch continues today, because in his paintings he is himself. His works of art very often became the subject of the division of malefactors. In 1994, his famous painting "Scream" from the National Gallery was stolen. Criminals have poorly thought out theft, therefore in couple of months the picture has been returned. Also, the theft of Munch's Vampire painting was committed. However, law enforcement agencies managed to conduct a successful investigation, due to which the "Vampire" was found. In 2004, a group of thieves brought out the variations of the Madonna and Creek paintings from the Munch Museum. In 2006, they were returned to the Museum, and the perpetrators received their punishment. Both pictures were damaged. After the return of paintings to the Museum, they were found scratching, traces of moisture, rubbed and peeled edges. Restorers did everything they could, but some spots remained visible.