Edvard Munch- An Infinite Scream Passing Through Nature [Understanding Modern Art]

Edvard Munch, Norway's premiere modernist painter, forerunner of Expressionism and creator of the Scream is a towering figure in the history of Modern Art who brought raw emotion to painting in ways never before seen. In this video we take a look at his enormous body of work, the context which informed it and the fear of madness that haunted him from his childhood right through to his old age.
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Footage used- • Video
Munch's recordings- • Video
When Edvard Munch passed away in 1944 those tasked with the handling of his affairs were confronted by something of a strange scene. Highly regarded as a giant of modern art Munch had achieved great success during his long life and yet his last few years had been spent alone. Unmarried, childless, suffering from mental instability and living in fear of the Nazi's who occupied his Norwegian homeland, when Munch left this world it seemed to those who found him that he had done so alone. As they wandered through the hallways and bedrooms of the old painters home however a different picture began to emerge. There they found artwork after artwork, canvases, drawings, paintings and prints stacked in the corners, piled up in the hallways, covering the walls and even lying in the garden, exposed to the elements like forgotten children's toys. All told there were some 20,000 pieces found in Munch's home following his death representing works from across his long career and a collection of near incalculable cultural value. To Munch himself though their worth was even greater than that, for in the eyes of this isolated elderly painter these weren't just artworks, they were his children as well.
Famously reticent to part with his works and often likening his relationship with them to that of a parent to a child, he really did in many regards treat them as family. On good days he would even take them to the beach. These somewhat odd behaviors were the result of a life shaped by tragedy, illness, death and loss, which had inspired Munch to create a new kind of art. One which was emotionally resonant, deeply personal and highly empathetic, leading eventually to the style which would generally come to be termed Expressionism. Today, we're going to take a look at Munch and his expressive art, from his strict religious upbringing to his days as a Bohemian rebel, his successes as a painter, failure's in love, battles with addiction and struggles with the looming threat of hereditary insanity to give you a picture of a man who shaped the course of Modern art and who may not have been as alone at the end as those who found him had thought.