Munch was pleased with the " great commotion ", and wrote in a letter: " Never have I had such an amusing time — it's incredible that something as innocent as painting should have created such a stir.

Munch wrote of how the painting came to be: " I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set ; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood.

Still attracting strongly negative reactions, in the 1890s Munch did begin to receive some understanding of his artistic goals, as one critic wrote, " With ruthless contempt for form, clarity, elegance, wholeness, and realism, he paints with intuitive strength of talent the most subtle visions of the soul.

Munch returned to Christiania in 1897 where he also received grudging acceptance, where one critic wrote, " A fair number of these pictures have been exhibited before.

Munch admitted to the personal goals of his work but he also offered his art to a wider purpose, " My art is really a voluntary confession and an attempt to explain to myself my relationship with life — it is, therefore, actually a sort of egoism, but I am constantly hoping that through this I can help others achieve clarity.

After their mother's death, the Munch siblings were raised by their father and by their aunt Karen.

That year, Munch demonstrated his quick absorption of his figure training at the Academy in his first portraits, including one of his father and his first self-portrait.

Munch grew up at Gjerpen parsonage, where his father was parish priest of the Church of Norway.

That was the last thing he ever said to his father before his father committed suicide, and Munch still regrets that he told his father he " hated his guts " just before the tragedy occurred ; for years afterward, he believes that it was his fault.

The older brother, Fredrik Olsen, had been involved in a legal process against his younger brother concerning the The Scream and other Munch works that had been collected by their father, Thomas Fredrik Olsen.

There he also received instruction in piano and counterpoint from professor Gustav Jacobsthal, and associated closely with Ernest Munch ( the brother of his former teacher ), organist of St William church, who was also a passionate admirer of J. S.

Edvard Munch (; 12 December 1863 – 23 January 1944 ) was a Norwegian painter and printmaker whose intensely evocative treatment of psychological themes built upon some of the main tenets of late 19th-century Symbolism and greatly influenced German Expressionism in the early 20th century.

Edvard Munch was born in a rustic farmhouse in the village of Ådalsbruk in Løten, to Christian Munch, the son of a priest.

Edvard Munch was related to painter Jacob Munch ( 1776 – 1839 ) and historian Peter Andreas Munch ( 1810 – 1863 ).

The family moved to Christiania ( now Oslo ) in 1864 when Christian Munch was appointed medical officer at Akershus Fortress.

In 1881, Munch enrolled at the Royal School of Art and Design of Christiania, one of whose founders was his distant relative Jacob Munch.

" At that time, contrary to many of the other bohemians, Munch was still respectful of women, as well as reserved and well-mannered, but he began to give in to the binge drinking and brawling of his circle.

Art is complete once the artist has really said everything that was on his mind, and this is precisely the advantage Munch has over painters of the other generation, that he really knows how to show us what he has felt, and what has gripped him, and to this he subordinates everything else.

Munch was enthralled by the vast display of modern European art, including the works of three artists who would prove influential: Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec — all notable for how they used color to convey emotion.

Munch was particularly inspired by Gauguin's " reaction against realism " and his credo that " art was human work and not an imitation of Nature ", a belief earlier stated by Whistler.

Already, Munch was showing a reluctance to part with his paintings, which he termed his " children ".

Larsen was eager for marriage, and Munch begged off.

When the Fauves held their own exhibit in 1906, Munch was invited and displayed his works with theirs.

With more income, Munch was able to buy several properties giving him new vistas for his art and he was finally able to provide for his family.

Munch was seventy-six years old.

Nonetheless, Munch was highly influential, particularly with the German Expressionists, who followed his philosophy, " I do not believe in the art which is not the compulsive result of Man's urge to open his heart.

The therapy Munch received for the next eight months included diet and " electrification " ( a treatment then fashionable for nervous conditions, not to be confused with electroconvulsive therapy ).

Munch is not famous for religious artwork and was not known as a Christian.

Munch would later write, " I inherited two of mankind's most frightful enemies — the heritage of consumption and insanity.

Munch recorded little enthusiasm for Bonnat's drawing lessons —" It tires and bores me — it's numbing "— but enjoyed the master's commentary during museum trips.

Munch followed this advice and in the process produced several full-length portraits of high quality of friends and patrons — honest portrayals devoid of flattery.

* Munch at Olga's Gallery — large online collection of Munch's works ( over 200 paintings )

* Edvard Munch — 1 painting

During the course of six months in 1981, Munch transitioned from his realistic paintings to a style that was brightly colored, formally simplified, and emotionally expressive — a blend of elements including early Italian Renaissance, Post-Impressionism, and Pop Art.

In a deleted scene from the 3rd season of Homicide, Munch mentions to both Meldrick Lewis and Tim Bayliss that he had an uncle who lived up north but was unsure of what became of him — this is presumably Andrew.

When Tutuola gets frustrated over a potential witness being unable to testify due to relapsing on heroin, Munch mentions a former partner who took cases that personally — and who eventually committed suicide as a result.

Despite this, it appears that he and Briscoe become quite good friends — their interaction in the two following crossovers between Homicide and Law & Order, as well as in a crossover between Law & Order and SVU, is generally friendly ( Belzer originally pitched to Dick Wolf that Munch join Law and Order as Briscoe's new partner, but the role had been filled by Jesse L Martin ).

While Munch could never be accused of being sentimental, his cynical façade has occasionally slipped, revealing a deep compassion — especially for children — borne from his unhappy childhood.

File: Munch. jpg | Edvard Munch — Woman in Red Dress ( Street in Åsgårdstrand )

He studied organ there from 1885 – 1893 with Eugène Munch, organist of the Protestant Temple, who inspired Schweitzer with his profound enthusiasm for the music of German composer Richard Wagner.

The exposition of these ideas, encouraged by Widor and Munch, became Schweitzer's next task, and appeared in the masterly study J. S. Bach: Le Musicien-Poète, written in French and published in 1905.

Christian Munch also instructed his son in history and literature, and entertained the children with vivid ghost-stories and tales of Edgar Allan Poe.

At thirteen, Munch had his first exposure to other artists at the newly formed Art Association, where he admired the work of the Norwegian landscape school.

In 1879, Munch enrolled in a technical college to study engineering, where he excelled in physics, chemistry, and math.

The following year, much to his father's disappointment, Munch left the college determined to become a painter.

In contrast to his father's rabid pietism, Munch adopted an undogmatic stance toward art, writing in his diary his simple goal: " in my art I attempt to explain life and its meaning to myself.

In 1883, Munch took part in his first public exhibition and shared a studio with other students.

During these early years in his career, Munch experimented with many styles, including Naturalism and Impressionism.

Munch also received his father's ire for his relationship with Hans Jæger, the local nihilist who lived by the code " a passion to destroy is also a creative passion " and who advocated suicide as the ultimate way to freedom.

Munch came under his malevolent, anti-establishment spell.