Biography
With the picture of Edward Minka "Creek" are now familiar much better than with the biography of the Norwegian artist. His life, gloomy and painful, was filled with death, mental disorders, disappointment. At sunset of their days, Edward Munk left a record in the diary:"Disease, madness and death were black angels flying to my cradle to accompany me throughout life."Childhood and youth
Edward was born on December 12, 1863 in the Norwegian city of Löthen in the family of Christian Mink and Laura Katrina Bjölstad. The boy had the older sister of Yuhanna Sofia and the two younger - Igner and Laura, as well as Brother Andreas. The childhood of the future artist was in crossings: partly because of the profession of Christian - a military doctor, partly in search of cheaper housing.
Although the Munk family lived poorly, influential creative individuals were adjacent to their kind. So, a distant relative was the artist Jacob Munk. Edward's grandfather remembered the world as a talented preacher, and Brother Christian, Peter Andreas - an outstanding historian.
When the little Edward turned 5 years old, his mother died from tuberculosis, and the farm took her sister Karen. Christian, being a religious man, after the death of the spouse fell into fanaticism. He told his sons and daughters refrigerated the blood of the Helian history, and nightmares often dreamed of this Edward. To escape from disturbing visions, the boy drew. Already then his sketches looked talented.
In 1877, the elder sister Edward, Sofia died from Tuberculosis. The young man was close with her, so he took heavily loss. The sad event was the reason for disappointment in faith. In the diary, Munk recalled that the father "walked back and forth on the room, prayerfully folded his arms," but it did not help the girl to recover. The days spent with the dying sister later reflected in the paintings "Sick Girl" and "Spring".
Diseases somehow pursued the Munk family. Shortly after the death of Sophie, another sister Edward, Laura, began to behave strangely. She often worried, rolled out hysteries, sat quietly on other days and did not talk to anyone. She was diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Christian saw in the son of the engineer, so in 1879, at the age of 16, Edward entered the technical college. It was easily given physics, chemistry and mathematics. Despite the successes, a year later, the young man was expelled, deciding to become an artist. Beginning of the boy Father did not support: he considered the work of creativity by vulgar. Despite the protests, in 1881, the young painter entered the royal school of drawing in Oslo.
In 1883, the name of Edward Minka first heard in the Norwegian society. As a creative debut, the expressionist presented "Etude Head." From this began the formation of a great artist.
Painting
In subsequent years, Munk has repeatedly participated in exhibitions, but his work was lost among the brightness of the shades and the volume of the names of the artists. In 1886, Edward presented an expensive heart "Patient Girl" and received a flurry of negative reviews. This review appeared in one of the local newspapers:
"The best service you can render Edward Munka, it is silent to pass by his paintings. Musk's paintings significantly reduced the level of the exhibition. "The reason for criticism was the visible work inverter and formlessness. The young artist accused of improving the technique and develop.
And Munch considered the "sick girl" with his breakthrough. As a model, he posed 11-year-old Betsey Nielsen. Once she turned to the father of Edward for help - her younger brother broke his leg. The girl was so excited and beautiful with the painted gluing eyes that the young painter asked her to become a fitter.
After tough critics, Edward ceased to be sincere, his painting is uninteresting and choporn. A year later, in 1889, he tried to once again tell about the sister in the picture "Spring". Creating it, Munk made an impressionist: you can see how the curtains are pegged, and feel the sunlight, pouring out of the window.
On the canvas of the summer day is opposed by a heavy atmosphere, which reigns in the room. Red-haired girl, leaning back on the pillow, looking at an elderly woman with melancholy, in her hands the medicine. There are no bright tones in clothes, rather looks like a mourning savage. It is felt that soon death will be headed towards them.
At the end of 1889, when Munch went to study in Paris, she received the news of the death of his father. The artist fell into depression, broke the connection with friends. This event has become one of the key in the work of the expressionist. He wrote then in the diary:
"There should not be more to write interiors that read men and binding women. They will be replaced by real people who breathe and feel, love and suffer ... ".In memory of the father Edward wrote a picture "Night in San Clas". In the apartment, filled with night light, the window is sitting by a man. Modern art historians see in this image of both the mug, and his father awaiting death.
Returning to his homeland, the artist began work on the cycle of works, which later received the name "Fries of Life: a poem about love, life and death." In it, Munk wanted to reflect the stages of the formation of a person - from birth to death. The cycle includes key works: "Madonna", "Creek", "Life Dance", "ash". Total 22 paintings, divided into four groups: "Birth of love", "flourishing and sunset of love", "Fear of life" and "death".
Included in the "frieze of life" and the picture "Melancholy" 1881. Critics did not accept her with delight, however, they noted that Munk gained his own style - bright outlines, simple forms and twilight reigning in all works. Fully cycle was first introduced in 1902.
In the work of Edward Minka, there are no one hundred pictures, but the "cry" became the most famous of them. In the usual edition, a human-like creature is depicted on it, the sky is painted with bright orange-red shades. Creek, escaped from the bellowed mouth of the Humanoid, as if smewing the landscape around. Two more figures are visible behind. In his diary, Munk wrote:
"I walked along the path with two friends, the sun was sake, unexpectedly the sky became bloody-red, I suspended, feeling exhausted, and leaving about the fence - I looked at blood and flame languages over a bluish-black fjord and the city, my friends went further, And I stood, trembling excitement, feeling an endless cry, piercing nature. "Under the impression of what he saw in 1892, the artist wrote a picture "Despair". On it, instead of a common creature, a man is depicted in a hat. A year later, Munk sketched the Pastel of Humanoid, then painted it with oil. Later, two more were added to these versions. Particularly popular is the image of 1893, which is stored in the National Museum in Oslo.
Art historians found a place where Edward could see the picture. Interesting the fact that before near this place was located the largest slaughterhouse in Oslo and a mental hospital. Musk's creativity researcher noted:
"They said that the screams of the scored animals, mixed with the screams of the mentally ill, were unbearable."Hence probably, "an infinite cry, piercing nature".
1894 was marked by the emergence of two works - "ripening" and "girl and death". Both paintings combine contrasting phenomena. So, in the "maturation" over the young, fragile, the black, frightening shadow, which was frightened by his nudity, scared his nudity.
In the work of "Girl and Death", a magnifying beauty kisses skeletal death, taking her as a better friend. Such opposition is characteristic of modern.
Munk created paintings in different genres: portrait, landscape, still life. In the late period, his work became rude, and the plots are simple. Peasants and fields appeared on his canvases.
Personal life
Edward Munk was not married and had no children, but it is known about 3 of his novels.
In 1885, he met Millie Taulov. The girl was married, so he did not take care of a young man seriously, but did not reject them. Edward referred to love seriously: to twist the novel with a married woman meant to cross all religious obstacles. So without receiving reciprocity from Milli, Munch refused to conquer it.
In 1892, the artist got acquainted with Stanislav Psybyshevsky, Pole, by nationality, and his future wife Dagney Yul. The girl became a mug for mulka, he repeatedly used her image in the paintings. Researchers admit the opportunity that there was a love relationship between young people.
The most painful was the novel with Toolla (Matilda) Larsen, which began in 1898. At first, their relationships were well, then the woman began to tire mock with obsessiveness. In 1902, she felt the coldness of her beloved and threatened suicide. Frightened, Edward came to her.
A few days later, a quarrel occurred between them, as a result of which Munk shot his hand. According to the common version, Tulla wanted to shoot, and the artist in attempts to snatch the revolver pressed on the trigger. The man was hospitalized, and on this relationship ended.
Until the death in the personal life of Mukka, a favorite woman did not appear.
Death
The artist had weak health, however, in 1918, the Spanish is overbug, which ruined millions of people. In 1930, almost blinds because of hemorrhage into the vitreous body of the right eye, but did not quit painting.
A month after its 80th birthday, in 1944, the artist died. His posthumous photo is kept in the museum of Minka in Oslo.
After the death of the expressionist, all the paintings were transferred to the state. Thousands of oil canvases and engravings today make up the main exposition of the museum of the Mink.
Mention of the artist is found in art books and films. So, in 1974, the film "Edward Munk", telling about the years of the formation of an expressionist.
Paintings
- 1886 - "Sick Girl"
- 1892 - "Despair"
- 1893 - "Creek"
- 1893 - "Death in the room of the patient"
- 1894 - "Madonna"
- 1894 - "Sidel"
- 1895 - "Vampire"
- 1895 - "Jealousy"
- 1896 - "Voice" ("Summer Night")
- 1897 - "Kiss"
- 1900 - "Life Dance"
- 1902 - "Four ages in life"
- 1908 - "Self-portrait against the blue sky"
- 1915 - "At the mortal evidence" ("Fever")
- 1919 - "Self-portrait after Spanish influenza"