Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch was born on December 12, 1863, in Loten, Norway. He was the second of five children in his family. Munch's early life was marked by illness, death, and a sense of loss which profoundly influenced his emotional and artistic development. His childhood was overshadowed by the death of his mother from tuberculosis when he was just five years old.

In November 1892, Edvard Munch's work was displayed at the Verein Berliner Künstler in Berlin. The exhibition led to public outcry and was closed after just one week, sparking a debate about art's purpose and the beginning of Munch's prominence in the European art scene. The controversy increased Munch's fame.

In 1893, Edvard Munch created one of his most famous works, The Scream. This iconic painting became a symbol of modern existential crises and anxiety. Munch's The Scream illustrates a figure against a tumultuous sky, capturing the psychological depth and intensity of human emotion, and is considered a precursor to Expressionism.

In 1895, Edvard Munch began producing etchings, marking his exploration into printmaking. This year is significant for Munch's development as he started creating numerous etchings that extended the reach and influence of his art. His style and themes in painting adapted well to the medium of print.

In 1902, Edvard Munch exhibited a series of paintings called The Frieze of Life at the Berlin Secession. These paintings explored profound themes of love, anxiety, illness, and death, encompassing much of his life's work to that point. The series further established Munch as a critical figure in Symbolism and Expressionism.

In 1908, Edvard Munch suffered a severe mental breakdown, attributed to both excessive alcohol consumption and personal turmoil. He voluntarily checked into Dr. Jacobson's Clinic in Copenhagen, where he received treatment for nervous exhaustion. This period marked a turning point in his life, leading to a more stable phase in his career.

In 1909, Edvard Munch returned to Norway after extensive time abroad. He began a new and productive phase in his career, focusing more on landscapes and outdoor scenes. This period saw a renewal of his artistic style, where his use of color became brighter and his themes more diverse, moving away from the intense symbolism of his earlier work.

In 1926, Edvard Munch completed a series of murals for the University of Oslo. These works, including themes of enlightenment and knowledge, are considered among his most important public commissions. The murals represented a culmination of his themes of life, philosophy, and emotion translated into large-scale works.

In 1937, the Nazi regime in Germany confiscated many of Munch's works from German museums as part of their campaign against what they termed 'degenerate art'. These works were later displayed in the Degenerate Art Exhibition. This event underlined Munch's impact and the challenging positions he held in cultural politics of the time.

Edvard Munch passed away on January 23, 1944, in Oslo, Norway, during the German occupation of the country. He died peacefully at his home and left an enormous legacy of artworks, many of which he had kept in his private collection for future museums. His works have profoundly affected modern art.