Author Description

"Sickness, Madness and Death were the black angels who stood around my cradle". Edvard Munch's paintings remained a life-long testimony to his words, reflecting his inner torment and continuous struggle against the forces of love and dark destruction. Paintings of such emotional intensity were unprecedented in the 19th century, to such as extent that in an 1892 Berlin exhibition, his works created an uproar which forced the exhibition to close. Ultimately, however, Munch's graphic work led to a redefinition of the bounds of artistic expression and launched the German Expressionist movement. This monograph traces the career and the psychology of an artist who created gripping art through an almost deranged mind. It features works from the Oslo Munch Museum, including paintings, etchings, lithographs and woodcuts, as well as extracts from Munch's diaries and other writings.