He is so much more than the Scream, and the emotions he captured 100 years ago seem as real and raw today. I was very keen to visit this new retrospective at
Tate Modern, as I admit I know very little about this Norwegian painter. He was born a year later than Gustav Klimt, a lot further north and he lived a lot longer, dying at 81 in 1944.
I must say I was expecting
dark and brooding introspection, but I was so pleasantly surprised. He has colour, texture, design, innovation and energy.
It seems he had a challenging early life with his mother dying of TB when he was only 5, his older sister dying at 15, also from TB. It would be hard to be confident of the long life he later enjoyed. But he seems to have used his artistic talents to share some of the crucial experiences of his life, in a manner that tapped into universal archetypes and emotions.
I loved the way he took a theme,and
reworked it again and again. It was more than just meeting client needs; it seemed to be that he could capture different nuances and perspectives at different times.
I also loved his use of perspective with angular bridges, curved paths and huge faces coming out at you in the foreground...and I loved his symbolism, with a stylised kiss, and several images of the classic love-hate dilemma.
I am thinking about a plan to visit Oslo, sometime soon...
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