Edvard Munch (12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944) was a Norwegian painter, who painted in a rather personal style hovering between post-impressionism and expressionism. His best known work, The Scream (1893), has become an iconic image, and I decided not to include it in this post, focusing instead on other, less famous, works. The above image is a self portrait 'in the clinic' from 1909.
Beach (1888)
There are a few themes that are often recurring in Munch's oeuvre - the beach (with or without people) is one of them. This is one of the first where was finding his own style.
Summer night, Inger on the beach (1889)
Another one on the same theme, this time including a model, Munch's youngest sister. I first came across this image as a CD cover for songs by Norwegian composer Edvard Grieg in the version of Anne Sofie von Otter, soprano, and Bengt Forsberg, piano.
Melancholy (1894)
Two recurring themes in one painting: the beach scenery and the feeling of melancholy. This painting exists in a number of versions, and has been hailed as the the first Symbolist painting by a Norwegian artist.
The Girls on the Bridge (1901)
Another frequent theme: girls on a bridge, and this bridge in particular. Several of my favourite Munch paintings can be found within this series, but for sake of variety, this is the only one I selected.
Garden in Lübeck (1903)
A souvenir from a trip to the German Hanseatic city Lübeck. This one of the most joyful paintings in his repertoire.
Back to the Norwegian shores - literally. A straightforward scenery with the red of the house less eye catching than one would expect. And yet I like this a lot.
Two Girls under an Apple Tree in Bloom (1905)
Capturing a moment of bliss for these girls in a garden, dressed (I think) in traditional Norwegian costumes.
Another trip to Germany. Elgersburg is a small village in Thuringia, near Erfurt. I like the unorthodox use of colours, ad the inclusion of the figures, which reminds me of Werefkin's work.
Man and Woman on the Beach (1907)
Another beach scene. Depicting couples is a rather rare occurrence in Munch's work, and if he does it, they usually do not like very happy. Perhaps this is related to his own life - he never married.
Melancholy (1911)
Melancholy is back on the menu for this one. I always thought that psychologists could deduce a lot about Munch's mental state from his works.
Man in the Cabbage Field (1916)
A theme Van Gogh could have tackled, although of course the styles are different. Notone of his most famous paintings, but I like it a lot.
Starry Night (1924)
Closing out with another painting that reminds one of Van Gogh, even including the title. The contrast between the French and Norwegian setting is immense though.
Copyright statement: images all in public domain.
