Norwegian painter Edvard Munch (1[zasłonięte]863-19) is best
known for his painting ''The Scream'', painted in 1893,
which has become one of the most iconic images in the
modern world. Munch was clear about his own mission in
exploring the portrayal of extreme human emotion. ''Just
as Leonardo da Vinci studied anatomy and dissected
corpses'', he wrote, ''so I try to dissect souls''.
Perhaps because of the subsequent notoriety of ''The
Scream'' and other works from his intensely productive
early period, Munch is often presented as a 19th century
figure, an inspiration for and precursor of the modern
artists who succeeded him. In contrast, this important
new survey, accompanying a major, touring exhibition,
shows him to have been fully engaged with modernity,
particularly by tracing his involvement with its key
methods of representation: photography, cinematography
and the theatrical mise-en-scene. In addition to a large
number of instantly recognisable masterpieces, this
lavishly illustrated book reproduces many lesser-known
works, as well as a wide selection of Munch's
photographs and sketches.Munch's photographs in
particular will be a revelation to many; his moody and
atmospheric self-portraits and the studio shots of
models that are placed alongside finished paintings
reveal the way one medium fed into another. With essays
by an international selection of authorities, extracts
of previously untranslated writings by the artist, a
chronology and bibliography, this is the most
comprehensive and revealing survey of Munch's work yet
published. |
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