Fear, desperation, and death: Painting as an act of self-liberation For Edvard Munch (1863-1944), painting was an act of self-liberation. His treatments of fear, desperation, and death still exert a powerful visual and psychological effect on modern viewers. Of all Munch's paintings, ''The Scream'' (1893), representing a figure tortured by horror, is the most well-known-and certainly one of the most expressive.

The artist reflected his innermost feelings in his work: ''In reality, my art is a free confession, an attempt to clarify to myself my own relation to life...'' Although Edvard Munch cannot be clearly identified with any single movement, he is deemed a pioneer of Expressionism. About the Series:
Each book in TASCHEN's Basic Art series features:

• a detailed chronological summary of the life and oeuvre of the artist, covering his or her cultural and historical importance
• a concise biography
• approximately 100 illustrations with explanatory captions