Cover title. Includes bibliographical references (pages 217-218). Published in the occasion of the exhibition of the same title, held at Clark Art Institute, Williamstown, USA (June 10-October 15, 2023), Museum Barberini, Potsdam, Germany (November 18-April 1, 2023), and Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway (April 27-August 24, 2024).
Contents:
So in the spruce forest / Ali Smith -- Foreword / Tone Hansen, Olivier Meslay, Ortrud Westheider -- Acknowledgments -- Essays. Munch's living nature / Jay A. Clarke -- Munch's alternative modernity: Cultivated landscape and climate anxiety / Jill Lloyd -- Even in the hardest stone the flame of life blazes / Trine Otte Bak Nielsen -- Munch and grief over lost nature / Arne Johan Vetlesen -- Exhibited works. In the forest -- Cultivated landscape -- On the shore -- Chosen places -- The scream of nature -- Storm and snow -- In a cosmic cycle -- Beneath the sun -- Appendix. Selected titles from Edvard Munch's private library ; Bibliography ; List of exhibited works and illustrations ; Author's biographies.
Summary:
"This richly illustrated catalogue provides a multifaceted perspective on the pictures of nature and landscape by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch (1863-1944). This important topic has been neglected in scholarship on Munch, despite the fact that it is a major motif in his oeuvre. This volume is the first to explore the theme in its full breadth throughout Munch's corpus, including his paintings, lithographs, watercolors, and woodcuts. His depictions of forests, farmland, and the seashore, as well as paintings of sea storms, snow, and other extreme weather, present us with undulating forms that animate nature. They likewise provide an example of Munch's preference for liminal spaces where transformations take place, often celebrating human interaction with nature in its many manifestations. The book also considers Munch's less conventional landscapes, and particularly those where his famous Scream motif occurs. These environments depict nature in an existential way, suggesting that the artist held a deep concern for nature's destruction by humans--a concern no less relevant today. A complementary look at his writings as primary sources alongside his images shows how Munch mixed a scientific perspective on nature with metaphysical and spiritual notions of rebirth that permeate other parts of his corpus. The book also includes a engaging short story by award-winning author Ali Smith that was inspired by Munch's work."--Distributor's website.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.