#69 - Edvard Munch ~ The Scream ~ 1893
#69 - Biographical Sketch of Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch (1863–1944) was a Norwegian Symbolist painter, and an important forerunner of
expressionist art. He was born in a rustic farmhouse, the second of five children, to a doctor who married a woman
half his age. In 1864, Munch moved with his family to the city of Christiania (now Oslo), where his mother died
four years later of tuberculosis—he beginning of a series of familial tragedies in Munch's life: His sister, Sophie,
also died of tuberculosis, in 1877 at the age of 15; another of his sisters spent most of her life institutionalized for
mental illness; and his only brother died of pneumonia at age 30. After their mother's death, the Munch siblings
were raised by their father. Often ill for much of the winters and kept out of school, Edvard would draw to keep
himself occupied, and received tutoring from his school mates and his aunt.
His father's positive behavior toward his children, however, was overshadowed by his morbid pietism,
which is an intensity of religious devotion. Munch wrote, "My father was temperamentally nervous and
obsessively religious—to the point of psychoneurosis. From him I inherited the seeds of madness. The angels of
fear, sorrow, and death stood by my side since the day I was born." One of Munch's younger sisters was diagnosed
with mental illness at an early age. Of the five siblings only one married, but then he died a few months after the
wedding. Munch would later write, "I inherited two of mankind's most frightful enemies—the heritage of
consumption and insanity."
In 1879, Munch enrolled in a technical college to study engineering, where he excelled in physics,
chemistry, and math. He learned scaled and perspective drawing, but frequent illnesses interrupted his studies. The
following year, much to his father's disappointment, Munch left the college determined to become a painter. His
father viewed art as an "unholy trade", and his neighbors reacted bitterly and sent him anonymous letters.
Munch also received his father's ire for his relationship with Hans Jæger, the local nihilist who lived by the
code "a passion to destroy is also a creative passion" and who advocated suicide as the ultimate way to freedom.
Munch came under his malevolent, anti-establishment spell.
From 1889 (the year his father died) to 1892, Munch lived mainly in France—funded by state scholarships
—embarking on the most productive, as well as the most troubled, period of his artistic life. It during this period
that Munch undertook a series of paintings he called the "Frieze of Life," ultimately encompassing 22 works for a
1902 Berlin exhibition. With paintings bearing such titles as "Despair" (1892), "Melancholy" (c. 1892–93),
"Anxiety" (1894), "Jealousy" (1894–95) and "The Scream" (also known as "The Cry")—the last of which, painted
in 1893, would go on to become one of the most famous paintings ever produced—Munch’s mental state was on
full display, and his style varied greatly, depending on which emotion had taken hold of him at the time. The
collection was a huge success, and Munch soon became known to the art world. Subsequently, he found brief
happiness in a life otherwise colored by excessive drinking, family misfortune and mental distress.
Success wasn't enough to tame Munch's inner demons for long, however, and as the 1900s began, his
drinking spun out of control. In 1908, hearing voices and suffering from paralysis on one side, he collapsed and
soon checked himself into a private sanitarium, where he drank less and regained some mental composure. In the
spring of 1909, he checked out, eager to get back to work, but as history would show, most of his great works were
behind him.
Munch moved to a country house in Ekely (near Oslo), Norway, where he lived in isolation and began
painting landscapes. He nearly died of influenza in the pandemic of 1918-19, but recovered and would survive for
more than two decades thereafter (he died at his country home in Ekley on January 23, 1944). Munch painted right
up to his death, often depicting his deteriorating condition and various physical maladies in his work.
In May 2012, Munch's "The Scream" went on the auction block, selling at Sotheby's in New York for more
than $119 million—a record-breaking price—sealing its reputation as one of the most famous and important works
of art ever produced.
#69 - Additional Works by Edvard Munch
Self-Portrait. 1881-82. Oil on board. 25.5 x 18.5 cm. Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway
The Sick Child. 1885-86. Oil on canvas. 119.5 x 118.5 cm. Nasjonalgalleriet, Oslo, Norway
Arrival of the Mail Boat. 1890. Oil on canvas. 98 x 130 cm. Private collection
Harry Graf Kessler. 1904. Oil on canvas. 86 x 75 cm. Private collection
By the Deathbed (Fever). c. 1915. Oil on canvas. 187 x 234 cm. Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway
#69 - Questions about Edvard Munch
1) What is the meaning of pietism?
a) a religion based on paganism
b) a form of atheistic devotion
c) an intensity of religious devotion
d) an interest in satanic devotion and rituals
2) Why do you think Munch was kept out of school, leaving him time to draw, keeping
himself occupied, and received tutoring from his school mates and his aunt ?
a) often ill for much of the winters
b) other children disliked and bullied him
c) he struggled to keep up with his studies intellectually
d) his mother was lonely and craved the company
3) Which statement best describes the result of how Munch's father viewed art as an
"unholy trade", and his neighbors reacted bitterly and sent him anonymous letters ?
a) Munch attended college determined to become a lawyer
b) Munch left the college determined to become a painter
c) Munch left home determined to become a sailor in Her Majesty's Navy
d) Munch left most of the important life decisions to his mother's family
4) Based on the fact that Munch also received his father's ire for his relationship with
Hans Jæger, the local nihilist, which of these conclusions is accurate?
a) Munch came under Jæger's malevolent, anti-establishment spell
b) Munch became entangled in a love triangle with Jæger's sister
c) Munch came under Jæger's happy-go-lovely, loving life spell
d) Munch came under the spell of Jæger's mentor devoted to communism
5) Which of the following is a reason for Munch to state “The angels of fear, sorrow, and
death stood by my side since the day I was born”?
a) his father practiced black magic, to the point of psychoneurosis
b) his father was obsessively anti-government, to the point of psychoneurosis
c) his father was obsessively religious, to the point of psychoneurosis
d) his father was lazy about his son's religious upbringing, to the point of psychoneurosis