Edvard Munch, the renowned Norwegian painter, is often associated with his iconic work, “The Scream.” This painting, with its haunting depiction of existential angst, has cemented Munch’s reputation as a master of modernist expression. However, a new exhibition at the Clark Art Institute in Williamstown, Massachusetts, titled “Trembling Earth,” offers a broader perspective on Munch’s oeuvre, revealing a more nuanced and multifaceted artist.
Munch, born in 1863, was a conduit for the zeitgeist of his time. His life and work were marked by a profound sensitivity to the tumultuous changes and existential crises of the modern era. Like literary giants Dostoyevsky and Kafka, Munch’s art delved deep into the human psyche, exploring themes of alienation, mortality, and the destabilized self. His early years were fraught with personal and financial struggles, and his social circle included nihilists, alchemists, and other fringe figures of the time. Despite these challenges, Munch’s work resonated with a raw, emotional intensity that captivated audiences and critics alike.
The Clark Art Institute’s exhibition is not a rebuttal to “The Scream” but rather an amplification of our understanding of Munch as an artist. The exhibition showcases a range of Munch’s works that exude a supernatural warmth and generosity. One of the standout pieces is “The Yellow Log,” which depicts felled tree trunks in a snowy forest. The top trunk, glowing with a brilliant disc of white gold, seems to launch out of the picture, radiating a sense of life and energy.
Another notable work is “The Haymaker,” where the landscape pours forward in a rush of summery splendor. The figure in the foreground, scything grass, redirects the current with the flex of his legs and the torque of his body, embodying a sense of harmony with the natural world. Similarly, “Cabbage Field” features rows of smoldering blue-green cabbages that seem to stream toward or away from the horizon, creating a dynamic and almost surreal visual experience.
While the exhibition includes some of Munch’s more melancholic and moody works, such as bleak semi-allegorical figures and a black-and-white lithograph of “The Scream,” these are presented as counterpoints to the more luminous and life-affirming pieces. For instance, “The Sun,” a dazzling depiction of an ocean sunrise, features rays and light pellets flung off in all directions. Behind the brightness, one can discern the vague skull shape of the “Scream” head, suggesting a deeper, more complex interplay between light and darkness in Munch’s work.
Munch’s later works reflect his evolving metaphysical beliefs and his intuitive, almost scientific faith in the self-renewing ferment of life. His images of male and female essences, volcanoes of yearning beings, and other near-Blakean luminosities reveal an artist deeply engaged with the mysteries of existence. In “Digging Men With Horse and Cart,” the men are bent double over their shovels, while the white horse standing between the shafts appears as a transparent wreath of energies and muscles, nodding at the men as if conferring a blessing.
Despite his reverence for his paintings, Munch was known for his un-precious attitude towards them. He would often heap them carelessly, trip over them, or leave them outside to weather the elements, a process he called the “hestekur” or “horse cure.” This approach underscores Munch’s belief in the organic, ever-changing nature of art and life.
Munch’s work did not escape the scrutiny of the political regimes of his time. In 1937, many of his paintings were seized by the Nazis as part of their campaign against “degenerate art.” Munch spent his final years under German occupation in Norway, and on the day of his death at age 80, he was reading Dostoyevsky’s “The Devils” for the umpteenth time.
“The Scream” remains an enduring symbol of human vulnerability and existential dread. However, the Clark Art Institute’s exhibition reveals that Munch’s artistic vision was far more expansive. His ability to capture both the harrowing and the ecstatic aspects of human experience speaks to his extraordinary strength and resilience as an artist. For all his personal struggles, Munch possessed a secret hardiness that allowed him to channel the overwhelming vibrations of reality into his art.
In “Trembling Earth,” visitors are invited to explore the full spectrum of Munch’s work, from the dark and brooding to the radiant and life-affirming. This exhibition not only deepens our appreciation of Munch’s genius but also connects us to the profound and often paradoxical truths that he sought to express through his art.
Source: The Atlantic, Clark Art Institute
