Edvard Munch - founder of German Expressionism (the eve of the exhibition in the Pushkin Museum)

[Мунк]

On the eve of the exhibition of artists of the "bridge" which opens in GMII im. Pushkin sixth of September this year, would be appropriate to recall the artist that stood at the beginnings of XX century Expressionist movement, originating from this artistic association. I'm talking about the Norwegians Edvard Munch (1863-1944), who along with Van Gogh called "the father" of German expressionism.

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According to Herbert Read, "the beginning of the modern German school, standing in a clear isolation of the Parisian school, to be found in Scandinavian art, Edvard Munch ... According to the modern German movement, he takes a position comparable to Cézanne in the French painting. One can say that he saved the German art from slavish following of the post-Impressionist school, he returned it to the model more in tune with the expressiveness of the northern genius. " Artists of "Bridge" - E. Kirchner, E. Heckel, K. Schmidt-Rotluff, F. Bleyl, E. Nolde, M. Pechstein - embraced by Munch proto-expressionistic formal language, techniques of writing and existential issues.

Flourishing creativity Munch accounted for decade 1892-1902 period, when the artist created a series of symbolist paintings on themes of love, fear and death, later called "Vries Life. First notoriety came to him in Germany in 1892, where he became famous painter and an anarchist revolutionary. Here he met with his rich clients and patrons to whom he owes his income in 1890 and 1900's. The recognition of the general public, and with it, and material stability come to him only after 1909, and for two decades 1910-20-ies he uses limitless glory coryphaeus contemporary art.

Edvard Munch's creative activity lasted more than six decades until his death in 1944, occupied by German troops Oslo. In addition to the famous "Vries Life" artist worked in the genre of portraiture, landscape, was an eminent engraver and monumental. This portrait and the landscape made him the first recognition of the public at the turn of 19-20 centuries.

Bright individual style of Munch, the reputation of "lone wolf" was not allowed to assign it to any school he has always been detached master artist and extremely subjective, making it difficult the task of defining its place in the history of artistic styles. For a long time, its value in the world of art on the right to determine how the father of German expressionism, which is still not in doubt. Studies of Norwegian and American scientists of the second half of XX century deepened understanding of the art of Munch, and with 70 years of the last century it was seen as the creator of a special direction in art symbolism late 19 - early 20 th centuries, which became the basis of aesthetics of the Bridge. " No overloading of art terms, this short message, which is still impossible to exhaustively characterize the work of Munch, will focus on the essence of his art, transmitted by definition - the existential, psychological and introspective symbolism. What is behind this?

The subject of Munch's Symbolism - is the archetypal emotions that everyone feels that can not be avoided. In other words, Munch examines the psychology of the primary, resulting from the basic instincts of human existence (existence): physical love, the fear of being, the fear of death. Problems of existence is in any era, they are relevant to us now.

In addition, the work of Munch symbolize spiritual problems late XIX century - the era of fin de siecle - such as biological determinism, gender pessimism and tragic self-awareness.

All the reasons the series "Love", "Fear of life", "Death" are autobiographical and created by the artist based on their own life experiences. Self-reflection, immersion in his own mental life (introspection) turns in his analysis of modern life. With the developed scenic art means and unique ability to generalize Munch raises personal traumatic experience for universal human level. His paintings are symbols of the subconscious of human emotions - passion, jealousy, despair, fear. Of all the artists of the Symbolist he is perhaps the only one that directly touches the audience for "living nerves. Therefore, his work has long been denied - it is too hidden, to expose the soul of modern man "unsightly" feeling, but it was not the show in the art, especially in countries with Protestant denominations.

The basic idea of Munch's art was a man, the problems and difficulties of his existence. In the article "Edvard Munch's Expressionism," published in 1952, the famous expressionist painter Oskar Kokoschka wrote: "astute look Edvard Munch realized panic humanity. His art, which revealed a twisted fear faces, shocked. He is ahead of time, as many of the great spiritual fathers ". And another phrase, which I really like: "hidden behind the intellectual arrogance of modern man looks at life from top to bottom with the theoretical heights. The concept of rights "as a measure of all things, seems to have vanished forever. Expressionism is opposite depicts life as a direct experience as experience.

"Frieze of life" Edvard Munch consists of three series: "Love" (the reasons "The Birth of Love", "Sunset and the blossoming of love"), "Fear of life", "Death". The most famous works:

Series "Love": The Voice (Dreams of a Summer Night), Kiss, Vampire (Love and pain), Madonna (conception), Melancholy (Jealousy), Ash (After the Fall), Sphinx (Three-age women), Break, Dance of life.

Series "Fear of life: Despair (The mood at sunset), Scream, Fear, Evening on Karl Johann gate.

Series "Death": A room of the dying, at the deathbed, the mother Dead, Death at the helm, Death and the child, Metabolism.

In the USSR, was published only one translated monograph on Munch, written in 1944, Norwegian Rolf Stenersenom, another artist in the last years of his life. She went to Moscow in 1971, entitled "Edvard Munch. Close to genius ". Except for two small albums and translated this book, the literature on Munke in Russian it. That is why last year published a book by Norwegian A. Ness - "Edvard Munch: A Biography of the artist" - so dolgozhdanna for admirers of art of this remarkable artist. Its review I put in the theme "Books on art».

[LCR]

Thank you very much for Munch Munch!

Wonderful message about a remarkable artist. I have nothing to add - except to say that to me embodies Munch Scandinavia, together with the other genius - Hamsun, whom it seems to me that much in common - to read "love slaves" or "famine" or "Pan", they can serve as an illustration (not in the low-lying sense of "explanation", while the highest - the similarity of the spirit) to each other.

I had previously I am glad that I could, came to Moscow to see this exhibition.

[Vladimir]

Сообщение от LCR

Thank you very much for Munch Munch!

C pleasure to join bagodarnostyam. One of the most significant artists of the seers. From nezasmotrennyh "Ash" is especially good. Munch, and your favorite work?
LCR have an association with Hamsun, and I "Dead Christ in the coffin niche" of Hans Holbein, too complicated, controversial and emotionally strongest work.

[Мунк]

Сообщение от LCR

for me, Munk represents Scandinavia, together with the other genius - Hamsun, whom it seems to me that much in common - to read "love slaves" or "famine" or "Pan", they may serve to illustrate (not in the low-lying sense of "explanation", while the highest - the similarity of the spirit) to each other.
.

How you Munch associate with Scandinavian literature! The fact is that in the late 19 th century painting Scandinavia did not differ avant-garde, but in literature it was at the forefront in Northern Europe. True, the works of Knut Hamsun (especially "Hunger") have been well known Munch. Hamsun was a representative of naturalism - the flow in the Western literature of the late 19 th century, for it is treated early Strindberg and Ibsen. And the art of Munch's 90 critics called "psychic naturalism. In the period from 1892 to 1895 in Berlin there was an avant-garde community of Scandinavian and German writers - a circle of "The Black Paros, the ideological leader of which was Strindberg, and a handful of powerful - he Przybyszewski, Munch, Ola Hannson. During this period, Munch and created his most famous things. Because of its proximity to the literary avant-garde Berlin Munch's much criticized for "literariness." With Strindberg Munch close friends, and in the work they fed off each other. In 1896, on the occasion of the exhibition Munch Strindberg in Paris, wrote a critical article in which he gave his (sexist) treatment of paintings, in a sense distort the designs of the Munch, but he did not object. You are well noticed that his paintings - not an illustration of someone's philosophical views - at the Munk had his own concept of all the above topics (the metaphysics of love, the concept of a woman, the philosophy of death), they built on their own experience. However, it coincided largely with the decadent views on these issues.

[Мунк]

Сообщение от Vladimir

LCR have an association with Hamsun, and I "Dead Christ in the coffin niche" of Hans Holbein, too complicated, controversial and emotionally strongest work.

Cool that you remember Hans Holbein. In general, the German artistic tradition (Matthias Grunewald) differs expressive artistic vision, based on the tragic worldview, characteristic for the artists of the Northern type. Van Gogh, Munch, Nolde - have continued this tradition in the 20 century.

[Мунк]

Сообщение от Vladimir

as your favorite job?

In his simvolistkom period than I like "Ashes" (love how the fire burns everything, so that in the end of it remains only a handful of ashes) is "Two. Alone," "Man and Woman."

[Мунк]

Сообщение от Vladimir

From nezasmotrennyh "Ash" is especially good.

I quote a comment of the German scholar Paul E. Munck Hodina on the painting "Ashes": "We see the desperation and emptiness that engulfed the man and woman after the fait accompli of proximity, as if nature had betrayed them by promising happiness and implementation, and in fact, devastated the souls , destroyed them as individuals, as soon as they obeyed the biological effect, pushing them to each other. The picture seemed to represent "Metaphysics of Sexual Love" Schopenhauer: "A man and a woman - these are elements that come into contact, but never joined. Women - a riddle for the man, the Sphinx, which he had to decipher all the time."
Generally works by Munch in addition to his own concepts was consonant with the ideas of the era of decline ", the philosophical guru of which were Schopenhauer, Nietzsche, Kierkegaard (the founder of existentialism). If interested in any images and motifs, I probably be able to answer, though, tomorrow.

[LCR]

Сообщение от Munch

How you associate with Scandinavian literature Munch! The fact is that in the late 19 th century painting Scandinavia did not differ avant-garde, but in literature it was at the forefront in Northern Europe. True, the works of Knut Hamsun (especially "Hunger") have been well known Munch. Hamsun was a representative of naturalism - the flow in the Western literature of the late 19 th century, for it is treated early Strindberg and Ibsen. And the art of Munch's 90 critics called "psychic naturalism".

I do not understand on what grounds Munch and Hamsun recorded in the naturalists. Ibsen and Strindberg - with them all the easier, more understandable and more boring. And these two (perhaps more Lagerlöf) to naturalism, in my opinion, had nothing to do, if we need to somehow christen their creativity, I would say that it - mythmaking.

Сообщение от Munch

With Strindberg Munch close friends, and in the work they fed off each other. In 1896, on the occasion of the exhibition Munch Strindberg in Paris, wrote a critical article in which he gave his (sexist) treatment of paintings, in a sense distort the designs of the Munch, but he did not object.

Well, Munch himself, I remember, spoke about our wonderful half brother - oh-oh-oh, but I still love him
I remember reading his magazine, or some note - he has a very interesting, very unusual habits of thought ...

Сообщение от Vladimir

and I "Dead Christ in the coffin niche" of Hans Holbein, too complicated, controversial and emotionally strongest work.

Your Holbein - is already out of Dostoevsky, no? I've just can not remember where he wrote about it (without naming the author), I think, in the "Idiot"?

[fross]

Thank you for the announcement of the exhibition - comforted. I just read about the exhibition Kirchner in New York's Museum of Modern Art, and sorry that I could not see. "The exhibition - seven of German Expressionist paintings from the series" Berlin Street, "which he had written in 1913-1915, respectively, and six dozen drawings, sketches and photographs depicting the streets of Berlin and a sense of dynamics, color intensity and severity of the lines. " - B
I join the admirers of Munch and add portrait Eva Mudocci, unfortunately not found Salome.

[Vladimir]

Сообщение от LCR

Your Holbein - is already out of Dostoevsky, no? I've just can not remember where he wrote about it (without naming the author), I think, in the "Idiot"?

The same. In "Idiot. Fine house Parfyon Rogozhin. Comparable to force the focus of Bach in "Solaris" by Tarkovsky.