Le Soir – Angst

For the next three weeks every Saturday we will present prints from the late 19th and early 20th century from the collection of the National Museum of Krakow (Poland). Today we present a litography created by Munch - for me his prints are even more powerful than paintings. This is one of numerous works by the Norwegian expressionist Edvard Munch which make shivers run down our spines. A crowd of anonymous, silent women and men, with eyes wide open, walks towards the viewer. They are in a deep trance and look so unreal that they resemble a procession of ghosts or zombies, terrified and terrifying at the same time, mute as if someone had told them not to scream. Behind them is raw, disturbing scenery: deserted hills, fjords and the sea. Red, heavy sky is suspended over the whole scene. Munch's paintings portray the typical, ominous and bleak beauty of the Norwegian landscapes, but above all, they reflect the state of mind of the inhabitants of this land plunged into darkness for most of the year. This lithograph undoubtedly reminds us of another painting by this artist – perhaps the most famous one – titled The Scream. Both of these works make a similar impression on us – they disturb, torment and frighten us. In the described lithograph, however, fear is shared by a group of people, instead of being experienced by an individual. It is a universal feeling, which is known to everyone and which paralyzes everyone. -- It has been three years now since we deliver daily dose of art to more than 200.000 people all around the world. Now we ask for your help - we want to create new version of DailyArt but we need $15.000 to make it happen. On this website you will find the details and you can make a donation: http://support.getdailyart.com. Thank you!