Paddock Arts

Edvard Munch - Expressionism - Emotions in art.

 

In this project we studied Expressionsim.  The Expressionist movement started in Germany. These artists wanted to paint about emotion. It could be anger, anxiety, fear, or peacefulness. This wasn't a completely new idea in art. Other artists like Vincent van Gogh had been doing the same thing. However, this was the first time this type of art had been given a name.

Expressionist art tried to convey emotion and meaning rather than reality. Each artist had their own unique way of "expressing" their emotions in their art. In order to express emotion, the subjects are often distorted or exaggerated. At the same time colors are often vivid and shocking.

 

We looked at the works of Edvard Much who was famous for painting The Scream.  The children looked at other pieces that he made and how they captured the emotion he wanted to convey.  Next they listed different emotions that could be depicted.  They could choose to make their own variation of the scream, or do create their own Expressionistic piece based on a unique experience in their lives.  If you visit the 3rd grade school gallery you will some of their amazing works.

 

Edvard Munch

Edvard Munch was born in Ekely, Norway on December 12, 1863 - the son of a military doctor. As a youngster, the tuberculosis deaths of both his mother and his teenage sister, left a profound mark on Edvard - the youngest of the Munch family. At the age of seventeen, after beginning to pursue a career in engineering, young Munch decided to give it all up to devote himself to painting. After studying at the Oslo Academy and under leading Norwegian artist Christian Krohg, he began showing his work - at times causing quite a stir. Spending summers in Norway and dividing the rest of his year between Paris and Germany, Munch attended literary circle meetings, exhibited regularly and experimented with woodcuts and etchings (in addition to paintings). As with most artists, much of Munch's subject matter came directly from his life experiences. From the death of family members to love lost, the images in his art were at times too much for the general public to bear. Often called the first of the expressionists, Munch left an indelible mark on the history of art.