Edvard Munch
Edvard Munch: emotion, painting and experiments in printmaking
Edvard Munch (1863 to 1944) was a Norwegian painter, printmaker and draughtsman. He grew up in Kristiania, now Oslo, and received early support from Christian Krohg. From naturalistic studies he developed a personal visual language that contributed to Symbolism and subsequently to Expressionism.
From observation to experience
In The Sick Child, exhibited in 1886, the subject drew on the memory of his sister’s illness. Munch worked the paint surface through application and scraping. The visible process contributes to the expression and helps explain why an apparently unfinished surface can reflect artistic intention.
The Dance of Life in Norway’s National Museum was painted in 1899 and 1900. Dancing couples, the coastal setting of Åsgårdstrand and female figures in white, red and black form an exploration of love, loneliness and the course of life. The painting is central to the Frieze of Life, Munch’s grouping of related existential subjects.
One subject can represent several different works
The Scream exists in several versions, including paintings and drawings, as well as a lithograph. A title alone therefore cannot identify the object in question. Its technique, support, date and particular version need to be described separately.
Munch practised etching, lithography and woodcut, sometimes combining techniques in a single print. Vampire II is a documented example combining lithography and woodcut. Printmaking was an independent area of his practice, in which printing methods and colour choices produced effects different from those of his paintings.
He also altered printing plates during production and returned to subjects over long periods. The variant and state of the printing matrix consequently matter. His later work also includes the decorations for Oslo University’s ceremonial hall. At Ekely, purchased in 1916, he continued to depict the garden, trees and animals. Throughout his career, self-portraits investigated both his life and his role as an artist.
What should be examined when buying or selling?
When buying or selling, distinguish original prints from later reproductions. Record the entire sheet, technique, image and paper dimensions, inscriptions, signature, reverse and ownership history. Compare the particular variant with the catalogue raisonné. A printed or handwritten signature alone does not establish authorship. Describe fading, stains, tears and mounting on paper, and paint loss and restoration on paintings. State uncertain attribution and gaps in provenance explicitly.
Read more about artist signatures, provenance and ownership history.
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