Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
At the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum, Munch: A Retrospective is being held from Saturday, October 27, 2018 to Sunday, January 20, 2019.
Since I participated in a press coverage held before the event, I will tell you how that situation is.
Speaking of Munch’s The Scream is one of the most famous painting in the world. Actually, The Scream is drawn in multiple stages, and 4 points are present besides prints.
The first visit to Japan this time is tempela / oil paintings collection of the Munch museum in Oslo, Norway, home of Munch. Because it uses delicate materials, it is not permanently displayed at the Munch Museum.
It is rare that this work is exhibited outside the Munch Museum, and this exhibition is a very valuable opportunity to see the real thing in Japan.
However, the charm of Munch is not only The Scream.
This exhibition will be a great retrospective exhibition of Munch that displays about 60 oil paintings and about 100 prints combined with Oslo City Munch Museum collection.
I will introduce some of them below.
The life of Munch seen in self-portrait
Munch is working on about 80 self-portrait in his life, and the expressions and backgrounds drawn are reading out his feeling of those days.
Work as a painter as he started out. His beautiful face expresses full of confidence.
Munch that was bothered by delusions caused by troubles with lovers, alcohol dependence, and wandering life at this time.
Munch's depression of the time seems to be projected on the background hell flames and surprising shadows.
One piece drawn in the year when it became turning point of Munch's life.
Munch hospitalized in Copenhagen's clinic for several months due to nerve weakness this year. After that he finally decided to finish the wandering in Europe for many years and return to his home country Norway the following year. Bright color makes us feel his peaceful life after that.
Rich internal portrayal
As a characteristic of Munch's work, there are in-depth internal depictions with bold strokes.
This work entitled Melancholy.
It seems as if the depressed feeling of a person is not only in his face expression but also in the background.
This is produced using the same composition as The Scream.
The Scream and Despair are both backdrops to the sunset in Oslo's fjord, but in contrast to & The Scream seems to be mutually responsive to the background, on the other hand, the person of Despair is deeply in despair and isolated from the surroundings.
A dark indoor contrasting with the brightness outside the window that glimpses the background. The strong love destroyed the contours between the man and
the woman, and the two united.
Although Munch drew many works extruding negative emotions such as solitude, melancholy, jealousy, many works with the relationsip between men and women as a motif are also left.
Special commentary
At the exhibition there was a special commentary by Mr. Jon-Ave-Staihaug, who is the director of the exhibition and collection at the Oslo city munch art museum.
"120 years ago there were some people who said The scream were ridiculous, ugly, there was no class, but I think that it is very interesting now that his works attract a lot of people worldwide. I think that Munch is extremely radical and at the same time experimenting with The scream. To convey the emotions such as anxiety and despair based on his own experiences, materials that are not normally used ( Pastel, tempela, cardboard and pencil) is used to create it. "
"Though it is common to many works of Munch, it gives the impression that munch are confronted with those who are watching his works through the faces painted, and on the other hand, through the perspective method his works draw attention of the watcher. Munch dramatically expresses his emotions. "
He also suggest one of his favorites Munch’s work.
" Red ivy, which is displayed in the same room as The scream, is as strong as The scream, conveying intense emotions, a wonderful and powerful work. "
Munch: A Retrospective that consists only of Munch's works, is being held until January 20, 2019 at the Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum.
Why do not you immerse yourself in the world of Munch.
※All Photographs ⓒMunchmuseet
Information
| Exhibition name | Munch: A Retrospective |
| Period | October 27 (Sat), 2018 – January 20 (Sun), 2019 |
| Closed | Mondays, December 25, January 1, 15 (Open the Monday of November 26, December 10, 24, January 14) |
| Hours | 9:30 – 17:30 (Last admission 17:00) |
| Days of Extended Hours | Fridays, November 1, 3 9:30 – 20:00 (Last admission 19:30) | Venue | Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum Exhibition Rooms |
| Admission | Tickets at the door | General ¥1,600 ／ College students ¥1,300 ／ HS students ¥800 ／ Seniors 65+ ¥1,000 Group tickets | ※Admission free for visitors junior high school age or younger |
| Official site | https://munch2018.jp/ |
| Telephone Inquiry | 03-5777-8600（Hello dial） |
Article Provided by：Kokosil Ueno