December 12 1863 – Norwegian Painter Edvard Munch is Born

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*Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons Famous for mind-bending paintings focused on dark themes, the artist behind The Scream was born in the tiny village of Adalsbruk, Norway on December 12, 1863. Edvard Munch, known for his roles in Symbolism and Expressionism, would become one of the more fascinating case studies in the blend between emotional state and artistic productivity in history. The second of five children, Munch’s early ability was fostered by his mother, who nurtured the talents of both him and his older sister, Sophie. When she died in 1868, the responsibility for raising the large Munch clan fell on his father, a doctor at Akershus Fortress in Christiania (known as Oslo today). Known for his deep religious beliefs, the elder Munch created a heavy fear of retribution from above in his kids while sharing the frightening tales of Edgar Allan Poe. As a result, Edvard frequently had nightmares as a child, often using his sketchbook or some watercolors as an escape. Throughout his youth, Munch frequently fell ill, many times spending large portions of the cold Norwegian winters at home in bed. He still managed to excel as a student of engineering in his early teens before transitioning to the Royal School of Art and Design of Christiania in 1881. Two years later, he debuted his work in public for the first time, sharing his privately-held desire to “attempt to explain life and its meaning to myself.” Rebelling against his father and exploring concepts of human frailty through sexually-charged poetry and painting, Munch began to drink heavily early in his twenties. Upset by the tension between his upbringing and new influences in his life, the artist delved into his emotions in search of more profound expression through his art. Abandoning Impressionist style, he created The Sick Child as an ode to his older sister Sophie, who had died just a few years after his mother. For the better part of a decade, as Munch moved from Christiania to Paris to Berlin, he refined his compositions. By 1893, when he painted The Scream, Munch had veered away from more traditional subject matter based on the world around him into reflections upon the psyche of humanity as a whole. As the willowy central figure presses his hands alongside his head, the entire scene — a bright orange sky over a dark landscape — conveys the conflict within that drives him to cry out. The emotional weight of the image has made it one of the most recognizable in the world. From his thirties on, Munch gained greater acclaim for his work — some of it grudgingly — and the connection it maintained to the progression of life. Wracked with anxiety from his youth, he suffered a nervous breakdown in 1908 and teetered on the brink of losing his mind for good, according to his own account. In returning to health, his perspective shifted, giving his work a more positive tone for the rest of his life. Now a wealthy man, he managed to help his poverty-stricken family while living in various locations across Europe to inspire his art. Even as the world descended into global war twice, he maintained an unsparing portrait style dedicated to reality (flattery was not one of his strong suits). When the Nazis arrived in Norway, the 76-year-old Munch hid his art for fear it might be destroyed — they had already confiscated his paintings in German museums and labeled it “degenerate.” When he died on January 23, 1944 at his home outside Oslo, Munch received an honored burial orchestrated by the men he had been so afraid of. In 1963, the Munch Museum opened in Toyen, allowing thousands of paintings, drawings and prints — including 71 of the 82 paintings seized by the Germans — he left to the city of Oslo to be put on display. Also On This Day: 1901 – Guglielmo Marconi receives the first transatlantic radio signal from his post in St. John’s, Newfoundland, Canada 1911 – Dehli replaces Kolkata as the capital of India 1925 – The Majlis of Iran names Reza Khan the Shah of Persia 1941 – Adolf Hitler announces an initiative to exterminate the Jews at a meeting with leadership of the Third Reich 2000 – The United States Supreme Court releases the decision for Bush v. Gore