EDVARD MUNCH

Edvard Munch (1863–1944) was a Norwegian painter and graphic artist, an influential figure in modernism. He emerged from the spiritual atmosphere of Art Nouveau, and his painterly work exhibits some characteristic features of this style. He studied at a drawing school in Oslo. His work was influenced by naturalism, symbolism, impressionism, and the work of Eduard Manet, as well as Munch's frail physical and mental health and the trauma of his mother's death. Munch's work foreshadowed the rise of expressionism, and he became one of the most significant representatives of this movement.

He was fascinated by modern European painting, and three painters demonstrably had the greatest influence on him: Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who were known for using colors to express emotions.

In 1908, Munch suffered a mental breakdown; his personality was destroyed not only by diagnosed bipolar disorder but also by a long-term alcohol addiction. Towards the end of his life, Edvard Munch was an internationally recognized artist, but he spent his days in solitude, working feverishly and under the supervision of German occupiers who labeled his brilliant work as degenerate art. During Nazism, many of his works were removed from German galleries.

The painting Morning – Girl Sitting on a Bed from 1884 represents Munch's naturalistic period and was also chosen to represent Norwegian art at the 1889 World's Fair in Paris. The 1892 Berlin exhibition significantly influenced the Expressionist group Die Brücke and contributed to the formation of the Berlin Secession. In the Czech environment, he became known after the 1905 exhibition, which inspired the artistic group Osma. His famous paintings include The Sick Child, The Scream, Madonna, Death in the Sickroom, and The Dance of Life. He is one of the greatest figures in visual art.