Lonely Ones

To mennesker. De ensomme (Two Human Beings. The Lonely Ones), 1899
Edvard Munch (1864-1944)
Woodcut
Image and owner: Museum of Modern Art

I think this is my first repetition of an artist (See Munch) I discovered this wonderful woodcut today. A bit moody, a bit sad, I still find the image beautiful. The mood of the image is perfectly equal to Munch's preoccupation with dark themes in direct opposition to Impressionism. Munch, through simple forms (most specifically in his prints), creates strong emotions and attachment to basic themes such as love, death and anxiety.

The woodcut lends itself to a "cutting out" of the figures, similar to a jigsaw puzzle. Each is solidly their own as if they could be plucked out of the landscape. This, along with the moody desolation of the landscape, and the very specific space between them enhances the stark contrast between the land and the water. The image remains seamless where we still see two human beings in one moment despite their separation. Munch reused elements of his works, like the woman in this print. We also see her in the lithograph, Young Girl on the Shore, 1896.

I had a recommendation for a theme week of art recently. If there is anything that you would like to learn more about and discover more of (a movement, period of time, type of media, subject matter...) please leave me a comment, or email at alisonlilith@gmail.com. Don't forget to take advantage of the tags at the bottom of each post to see previously posted art that is connected to what you are looking at.

Vampire

Vampire
Edvard Munch
1894

This excellent painting by Edvard Munch was inspired by one of the websites I have an RSS feed to and keep on: artdaily.org
About to go up for auction at Sotheby's (got a few extra bucks?) this fantastically creepy painting by the man who you are more likely to know by his famous painting, The Scream (so famous versions have been stolen more than once) is one of my favorites of his. The work was incredibly provocative in its day and happily still is with its themes of love, sex and death (now that would make a pretty exciting theme week wouldn't it?, Goya and more here we come). Those of you who know me well, know my affinity for things vampire related. Though a brief search of info brings up a debate as to whether the vampire theme was intended at all. Maybe I'll do some further research in the future.

Check out the artdaily link above and read about the great story behind the inception of this painting. I'll keep an eye out in October to see how much it sells for, it's expected to get as much as $35 mil.