Sickness, insanity and death were the angels that surrounded my cradle and they have followed me throughout my life.
Edvard MunchRead
If what you want to paint is the emotive mood in all its strength... then you must not sit and stare at everything and depict it exactly as one sees it.
Interpretation
What this quote means
To capture true emotions in art, one must go beyond mere realism and express deeper feelings.
In this quote, Edvard Munch emphasizes the importance of conveying emotional depth in artistic expression. Rather than merely replicating the physical appearance of subjects, artists should focus on the mood and emotions they wish to express, suggesting that true art emerges when one transcends literal representation to tap into the emotional essence of the scene or subject.
Themes
ArtEmotionExpressionPaintingCreativity
In practice
Example use cases
This quote can inspire artists during a gallery opening to discuss their creative process.
More from Edvard Munch
All quotes →I don’t believe in an art that is not born out of man’s need to open his heart.
Edvard MunchRead
Through my art I have tried to explain my life and its meaning. I have also intended to help others to clarify their lives.
Edvard MunchRead
My fear of life is necessary to me, as is my illness. Without anxiety and illness, I am a ship without a rudder. My art is grounded in reflections over being different from others. My sufferings are part of my self and my art. They are indistinguishable from me, and their destruction would destroy my art. I want to keep those sufferings
Edvard MunchRead
At different moments you see with different eyes. You see differently in the morning than you do in the evening. In addition, how you see is also dependent on your emotional state. Because of this, a motif can be seen in many different ways, and this is what makes art interesting.
Edvard MunchRead
From my rotting body, flowers shall grow and I am in them and that is eternity.
Edvard MunchRead
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