Tuesday, February 21, 2012

Frieze of Life

Red and White
(insert) 1894

Edvard Munch (1853-1944)
Munch Museum
Oslo

Last night I came back from a week in Oslo, where I had the privilege of taking time to fall in love with Munch again. At the Munch Museum they were showing some wonderful winter motifs "Sense of Snow" beginning in the 1880s. Curiously snow had not been painted much before, even though the winters are long in Norway. These are far from what Edvard Munch is best known for, which is his "Frieze of Life" series. "Frieze of life" represented Munch's dealing with tragedies in life, love, fear and death, loosely based on notes and sketches that he did in Christiania (Oslo).
Edvard Munch, travelled and lived in various places, had an incredible creative production, and did an impressive amount of art shows. Between 1892 and 1909 it is said that he had 108 shows, many of these in Germany. Although obsessed with death as a subject the thought that I am left with is that he must have been a much stronger man than what he is usually portrayed. Munch is often written about as a lonely, melancholic and mentally unstable person. Truly knowing him we will never, but the paintings live on.

This summer a mayor exhibit of Munch's work "The Modern Eye" will come to Tate Modern. This is a cooperation between the Munch Museum and the Centre Pompidou where it is currently on show.

Hestespann i snø
1923

On the Veranda Stairs
1922-24

Red House and Spruce Trees
1927


Summer night, the voice
1896

The girl and the death
1894

Madonna 
1894

The original title for this painting was "Loving Woman", said to symbolize the female cycle of life:
Sexual intercourse, causing fertilization, procreation and death.

Anxiety
1894

Death in the sickroom
1895

Munch will also be the theme of the first show at the Gallery that I am opening later this year. 
An exhibit focusing on Norwegian Contemporary Artists inspired or affected by Edvard Munch - but much more about that later.

With Love
Kristin

14 comments:

  1. I love the 'Anxiety' piece, it displays perfectly. Congrats on the ArtEco Gallery, how amazing, would be great to see :) I look forward to hearing more about it and wih you much luck on it!! xoxo

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  2. Munch is one of my favourite artist;, I love the rhythm and style portrayed in his work. You are so fortunate to have seen his work 'for real'. I have only seen reproductions.
    Thank you for sharing. Also, did your move go well and are you settled??

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  3. Sorry, Kristin! It was not you who moved! But I wanted to ask if you would like the 'Rhythms of the Sea' drawing. If so, can you contact me at jqsanna@hotmail.com

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  4. Loving his later work!
    I had never seen those paintings before!

    xoxox,
    CC

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  5. Hi Kristin his work is great, I have always been intrigued by it. What a lucky girl u are to get such an opportunity, so brilliant...and of course you deserve it ;)
    Thanks for sharing your experiences, its the closest thing to being there, plus your recount which I always appreciate (living on the other side of the world it's not always an advantage, especially when it comes to opportunities such as travelling o'seas, not easy especially with the family!!!...)
    You write beautifully btw. Have a great day xo

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  6. Munch has been a favorite, even long before I moved to Norway. I read Hamsun's Mysteries ( God! that's a long time ago!) and made me understand a bit. THe darkness, the atmosphare, the feeling. Maybe it was made to be I would one day live in their country ;p

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  7. i've never been a huge fan of munch's, but as a psychology buff, i love to look at his paintings for what they reveal about him. they are SO encrusted with 'issues', more subtle than it would seem.
    lucky you a whole week in oslo and looking at great works!

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  8. Glad that you had a wonderful time in Oslo and those paintings are amazing. I especially love the Hestespann i snø piece. Have a cozy afternoon, sweetie. xo

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  9. I'm always amazed by his paintings... you can really feel the emotion in them

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  10. You're so lucky to be exposed to such amazing art. Awesome.

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  11. interesting subject that, to draw snow. must be a really hard technique to get super realistic but then maybe it comes easy to the impressionism lot. I might be way off but that's what came to me.

    thanks for the last comment, i'm gutted i couldn't go to the DH exhibition, hopefully it travels to yorkshire though

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  12. how amazing. i so wish we had a good museum or gallery around here.

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