There’s More to Munch Than “The Scream”

Edvard Munch - Vampire - 1893 - Oil on canvas - 100 x 110 cm - Private collection (click photo for larger image)
Edvard Munch - Ashes - 1894 - Oil on canvas - 120.5 x 141 cm - National Gallery, Oslo (click photo for larger image)Edvard Munch (1863-1944) grew up in Christiania (now Oslo, Norway) and studied art under Christian Krohg, a Norwegian naturalistic painter. Munch's parents, a brother, and a sister died while he was still young, which probably explains the bleakness and pessimism of much of his work. Paintings such as Vampire (1893-94), and Ashes (1894) show his preoccupation with the darker aspects of life. The anxiety that haunts Munch’s art is expressed in a highly creative manner that taps into our emotions--even before we are wholly aware of the subject matter. Munch’s work had a powerful influence on the early Expressionists and continues to be felt today.


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