Munch and Me: My Connection to Edvard Munch.
Edvard Munch has always been present in my life, although I can't pinpoint when I first became aware of him. When I studied art history, however, I felt I had found the artist I understood and felt aligned with the most. He immediately resonated with me, and I felt a deep alignment with his expressionistic style.
As a student, I struggled to emulate classical painters, but my natural inclination was towards a more emotional and intuitive approach. Drawing anything was easy for me, but attempting to create the classical approach to perfection was always tedious and painful. My art was a way to fully express myself, connect emotionally, and experience a sense of freedom and joy.
Over time, Edvard Munch was clearly my favourite artist, and when I travelled in the late 90’s on a long trip to Scandinavia and Europe I went to Norway for three things. My best friend at the time, to see Edvard Greig’s studio -and stand where he composed Peer Gynt Suit that has captured my heart on piano and in orchestra - and finally to visit the Munch Museet in Oslo. I managed to do all three. The Munch Museet in Oslo was a kind of art mecca for me. I bought a little blow-up scream doll that I still have to this day in my studio.
The Nordic countries have a unique vibe and spirit that resonates with me on a deep level. I feel a sense of ancient roots and a connection to the region. It is as ancient and eternal as India and I have had mystical experiences there that have been as deep as the ones in India. There is a light and silence and even some kind of cosmic eeriness that almost stops your heart and taps you into a never-ending song, a voice in a register one can only hear in silence.
Although I took a hiatus from art for 12 years, one day, when still bedbound and rediscovering my art and wondering where who why what and the bloody hell of it all, I looked up Munch and felt this relief in my heart. I re-discovered his works all over again, they reminded me of the freedom of painting from your inner free self and seeing the world through a different lens of spirit, emotion, and mysticism.
I believe Munch was a mystic caught trying to emerge and express himself through art in a time and society when it was not socially acceptable to go outside the social norm. His works evoke so much recognition of emotion in me, and they are incredibly strong, and bold and beautifully designed, and also full of creation in a wild and refined way. Munch's works glisten with the silence of the Nordic region, total Spanda, and are mystical in nature. He’s a genius.
"The artist must not only paint what he sees before him but also what he sees within him. If he sees nothing within, then he should stop painting what is in front of him”.
This quote could be my own mantra. To only see the outer is mere design and not consciousness on canvas.
Munch's works have themes that are symbols, and I relate to them deeply. They weren't obvious like those of other symbolists, but to me, he is one. Munch didn’t need to be minimalist, abstract, painting church scenes or icons or religious stories so to speak to express his deep mystical side. His work was full of an investigation into life and humanity, which can only truly happen when plunged into the pain and shadow of life.
His works to me are works for contemplation and for that mysterious eternal Nordic light of the Self that still manages to shine through whether a reflective blob of the moon on water or radiate beams of light covering an enormous canvas.
"Nature is not only all that is visible to the eye... it also includes the inner pictures of the soul."
This quote emphasises Munch's belief that the natural world is not limited to what can be seen with the naked eye but also includes the inner world of the human psyche. Munch often used symbolic imagery to represent his inner experiences and emotions, believing that these symbols could convey more than mere representation.
Munch's wonderful quotes on art and spirituality reflect his belief that art should be a deeply personal and emotional expression of the artist's inner experience, and that symbolism can be a powerful tool for exploring the mysteries of the human soul. Amen.
Thank you, Mr Munch, for you still mentor me from your soul in your work. You still guide me and give me all the support I need to be me and go with my rhythm and be ok with my emotional, mystical, inquiring nature. Your light I recognize and greets my light. I feel full darshan of you in your work and hope one day to be able to pay that on in my work. This in a little way is an ode to you Munch.
©MataKamaleshwari