NORWAY - Scandinavia - page 416

Impressionists and the curves of Art Nouveau. He helped pioneer a new
style—Expressionism—using lurid colors and wavy lines to “express” in-
ner turmoil and the angst of the modern world.
After a nervous breakdown in late 1908, followed by eight months of
rehabinaclinic, Munchemergedlesstroubled—but alesspowerfulpaint-
er. His late works were as a colorist: big, bright, less tormented...and less
noticed.
Edvard Munch — Self Portrait with a Cigarette (1895): In this self-
portrait, Munch is spooked, haunted—an artist working, immersed in an op-
pressive world. Indefinable shadows inhabit the background. His hand shakes
as he considers his uncertain future. (Ironic, considering he created his mas-
terpieces during this depressed period.) After eight months in a Danish clinic,
he found peace—and lost his painting power. Afterward, Munch never again
painted another strong example of what we love most about his art.
Munch — Puberty (1894-1895): One of the artist's most important
non- Scream canvases reveals his ambivalence about women (see also his
Madonna ,below).Thisadolescentgirl,grapplingwithheremergingsexuality,
covers her nudity self-consciously. The looming shadow behind
her—frighteningly too big and amorphous—threatens to take over the scene.
The shadow's significance is open to interpretation—is it phallic, female gen-
italia, death, an embodiment of sexual anxiety...or Munch himself?
Munch — The Sick Child (1896): The death of Munch's sister in 1877
due to tuberculosis likely inspired this painting. The girl's face melts into
the pillow. She's becoming two-dimensional, halfway between life and death.
Everything else is peripheral, even her despairing mother saying good-bye.
You can see how Munch scraped and repainted the face until he got it right.
Munch — Madonna (1894-1895): Munch had a tortured relationship
with women. He never married. He dreaded and struggled with love, writing
that he feared if he loved too much, he'd lose his painting talent. This painting
is a mystery: Is she standing or lying? Is that a red halo or some devilish ac-