Drawing on printed and archival sources, including Munch's extensive unpublished writings, Munch's Ibsen provides a comprehensive account of the connection between the two great Norwegian modernists. Situating the interlocking careers of Edvard Munch and Henrik Ibsen within Norway's cultural history, Joan Templeton establishes Ibsen's primordial importance for Munch as a pioneering modernist voice. She examines the over 400 illustrations Munch made of Ibsen's plays, one of the greatest homages a painter ever made to a writer, showing how Ibsen's imaginative universe was an essential and integral part of Munch's life and work as a whole.

Templeton studies the illustrations as readings of Ibsen's plays and as examples of some of Munch's best work in various media: the witty, tender drawings of Peer Gynt; the eloquent oil sketches of Ghosts; the powerful woodcuts of The Pretenders; the sumptuous oil paintings of John Gabriel Borkman. She shows how some of the strongest of the illustrations result from Munch's accommodation of his own symbolic structures to Ibsen's text. She also demonstrates how Munch sometimes refigured Ibsen's texts to fit his own experiences and convictions in a process of reification that is as interesting as his fidelity. She offers a detailed analysis of Munch's famous portraits of Ibsen and a historical and analytical account of Munch's work on the Ibsen stage productions through which he painted himself into theatrical history.

Munch's Ibsen will appeal to students of modern literature and art, art history, the history of the modern theatre, Scandinavian art and culture, and interdisciplinary approaches to the humanities.

A comprehensive account of the relationships between the two great modern masters, Munch and Ibsen.

About the Author

Joan Templeton is professor of English and comparative literature at Long Island University, Brooklyn. She has published widely on Ibsen and other modern dramatists and is the author of the acclaimed book Ibsen's Women.

Reviews

"Joan Templeton's research and the beautiful artifact which contains it-the hard-bound, richly illustrated book-constitute a highly engaging, thought-provoking and emotionally moving read. Her study makes a significant contribution to the fields of Munch studies and Ibsen studies and can be used productively in the teaching of both subjects."

-- Gergana May * Scandinavian-Canadian Studies *

"Joan Templeton's much-anticipated book does not disappoint. Concisely written, cogently argued, richly illustrated, and beautifully designed . . . it should be read by anyone interested in Ibsen, Munch, modern drama, comparative literature, and modern Scandinavian studies. . . . Templeton's important study with its many brilliant insights and superb illustrations will undoubtedly serve as a catalyst for future scholarship."

-- Clarence Burton Sheffield, Jr. * Scandinavian Studies *



Book Information
ISBN 9780295987767
Author Joan Templeton
Format Hardback
Page Count 256
Imprint University of Washington Press
Publisher University of Washington Press
Weight(grams) 998g