My Favorite Artists and Their Art: Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch has long been one of my favorite artists in Modern Art. His symbolist and proto-expressionist works have a deeply personal connection with me. Somehow, they reach into my psyche, wrenching my emotions and thoughts from within and allow them to materialize in paint. Munch's art worked on two psychological levels at once, both conjuring up primitive emotions from our personal past while at the same time juxtaposing it with his knowledge of archetypal characters from our collective past. I love the way his artwork, much like Franz Kafka's writings, tap into those deep-rooted feelings of inadequacy, guilt, regret, lust, and utter despair.

The Scream (1893)


Puberty (1894-1895)


Vampire, also known as Love and Pain (1893-1894)


Madonna (1894-1895)


The Three Stages of Woman (circa 1894)


The Sick Child (1896)


Self-Portrait with a Skeleton Arm (1895)


Self-Portrait with a Cigarette (1895)


Evening on Karl Johan Street (1892)


The Sun (1909-1916)


Lady from the Sea (1896)


Death in the Sick Room (1895)