ARTISTS' JOURNEY: JIM DINE ON EDVARD MUNCH (TV)
Summary
One in this miniseries in which contemporary artists explore the lives and works of artists of the past. In this program, Jim Dine examines the career of Norwegian artist Edvard Munch. Dine, who gained fame in the 1960s as a pop artist, describes why he feels drawn to Munch's "simple but profound" work. Munch examined his own life "obsessively," and his many diaries reveal his struggles with angst and despair. Dine explores Norway, drawing comparisons to Paul Cézanne's portrayals of France in how Munch depicted his homeland in his works, focusing on the seasons and the use of light. Dine emphasizes that what the viewer sees, rather than interprets, is most important. He states that Munch cannot be labeled as an artist, as his works span many years and styles, and he examines some of his pieces, including "The Sick Child" and "Puberty," noting their "shocking" nature and opposition to Victorian ideals. He remarks upon their "so-called primitivism," observing that Munch was usually his own subject, even if not clearly defined as such. He discusses the similarities in the psychology of his and Munch's works, then examining his famous painting "The Scream," whose story Munch details in his diary. Dine opines that the work is "very weak" and "repulsive," however, almost parodying the strong emotions within.
Arne Eggum, curator of the Munch Museum in Oslo, displays Munch's "madman's notes" and explaining that he had many psychiatrist friends, having several family members affected by mental illness as well as consumption. Dine explains that he is more interested in the details of the works themselves rather than the "bleeding-heart" background explanations, then examining Munch's printmaking, noting that he was never satisfied with the works on their own as he sets about creating his own. Another printmaker, Aldo Crommelynck, observes and offers comments, and Dine explains Munch's habit of creating a "normal" painting and then allowing it to be damaged by the elements as a show of defiance against the norm. He remarks on Munch's prints "The Voice" and "Towards the Forest," noting their portrayal of emotion through landscape, and then peruses Munch's self-portraits and works on his own, adding that works of oneself "show more than they're meant to." He muses that many people "misread" art and are influenced by the "soap opera" of the artist's personal life and emotional state at the time of creating a work, rather than allowing the piece to speak for itself. Though Munch felt himself to be plagued by "death, illness and insanity" in his life, Dine insists that his art is not solely about such matters. He continues exploring Norway, observing the house depicted in Munch's "Red Virginia Creeper," and reflects upon how Munch too experienced "a life spent in art." Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: BBC2 (United Kingdom)
- DATE: May 31, 1992
- RUNNING TIME: 0:39:44
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:40035
- GENRE: Documentary
- SUBJECT HEADING: International Collection - United Kingdom; Documentary; Art
- SERIES RUN: BBC 2 - TV series, 1992
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Keith Alexander … Executive Producer
- Alex Marengo … Producer, Director
- Jim Dine … Host
- Nicholas Woodeson … Narrator
- Paul Cézanne
- Aldo Crommelynck
- Arne Eggum
- Edvard Munch