Inspired by Edvard Munch

Who was Edvard Munch?

Edvard Munch was an expressionist Norwegian painter best known for his seminal work, The Scream, painted in 1893. Unsurprisingly, Munch’s work often dealt in morbid or depressing themes. The Scream in particular was painted at a time when the artists mental health was at an all-time low, he described himself as “stretched to the limit” at the time of its creation. The painting has been described as a representation of the universal anxiety of modern man and is one of the best-known artworks of all time. An edition of the painting made by Munch in 1985 sold in 2012 for roughly 120 million USD. 

Munch’s art passed through many styles during his career. The artist was formally trained at the Royal School of Art and Design in Oslo where he experimented with various techniques. After his studies, Munch relocated to Paris where he adopted the bohemian lifestyle of artists of the day and became closely acquainted with the anarchist and nihilist philosopher Hans Jæger. 

Soon after their meeting, Munch’s signature style began to unfold as seen in his 1886 work, The Sick Child, painted after his sister’s death. In suit, his later work Frieze of Life: A Poem about Life, Love and Death portrays his family as separate and disconnected figures in the throws of sorrow. His work often exaggerated shadow and added rings of color around his subjects to emphasize their tortured expressions.