MUNCH, EDVARD

born December 12, 1863, Lten, Norway died January 23, 1944, Ekely, near Oslo Norwegian painter and printmaker whose intensely evocative treatment of psychological themes built upon some of the main tenets of late 19th-century Symbolism and greatly influenced German Expressionism in the early 20th century. His painting The Scream, or The Cry (1893), can be seen as a symbol of modern spiritual anguish. Additional reading Useful introductory books on the artist's life and work include Thomas M. Messer, Edvard Munch (1971 or 1972), also published in a concise edition with the same title (1985, reissued 1987); J.P. Hodin, Edvard Munch (1972, reissued 1985); Ulrich Bischoff, Edvard Munch: 18631944 (1988, reissued 1995); John Boulton Smith and James Malpas, Munch, rev. and enlarged ed. (1992, reprinted 1994); and Uwe M. Schneede, Edvard Munch: The Masterpieces (2000; originally published in German, 1988). A somewhat more thorough account of his art is Ragna Stang, Edvard Munch: The Man and His Art (1979; originally published in Norwegian, 1977). Accounts centring on particular paintings include Reinhold Heller, Edvard Munch: The Scream (1973); and Louise Lippincott, Edvard Munch: Starry Night (1988). Gray Watson