Edvard MunchLa Madone / Madonna - 1895

Edvard Munch (1863 - 1944) is a Norwegian painter and engraver, probably the most famous artist of the Scandinavian countries, recognized as one of the precursors of the expressionist painting.

And more broadly of modern art, in the same way as Van Gogh or Gauguin, he is known worldwide for his work The Cry (Skrik in Norwegian). A work that has been taken up and diverted many times. Painted in tempera on cardboard, it is in fact a version of a series of 5 works (three paintings, a pastel and a lithograph) produced between 1893 and 1917.

To understand Munch's work, it is important to know some elements of his life. From an early age, he was confronted with illness and death. His mother and one of his sisters were taken by the disease when he was still a child. Illness pursued Munch all his life, being himself of weak constitution. He was always afraid of death and was subject to many episodes of depression.

His expressionism is marked by the desire to symbolize human emotions - especially anguish and pain. The Scream is part of the Frieze of Life, a series of paintings that form an allegory of the course of life.