FEATURED ARTIST   -  September 2006

Edvard Munch (1863 - 1944)

Munch was a Norwegian painter who was one of the pioneers of modern painting. His own natural disposition and the atmosphere of misfortune and misery in which he grew up made him see life as a constant threat, a war of the sexes, a long, drawn-out tale of sickness and death. He painted extreme psychological states with an unprecedented conviction and an intensity that sometimes bordered on the frenzied.

The Scream	Vampire

From 1892 to 1908 Munch lived mainly in Berlin, but with frequent stays in Norway and visits to France and Italy. His 1892 exhibition in Berlin caused an uproar and the exhibition had to be withdrawn.  The most famous of the paintings were translated by Munch into etching, lithography or woodcuts.

Anxiety	Four Girls on a Bridge

In 1908 Much suffered a complete mental collapse. He returned to Norway permanently in order to recuperate. He realized that his mental instability was an inherent part of his genius, but he made a conscious decision to devote himself to recovery and abandoned his familiar imagery. His art became more extroverted and included landscapes and portraits painted with in bright and vigorous colors. Munch ranks as one of the most powerful and influential of modern artists.

Madonna