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February 29, 2024
5:30 pm – 6:30 pm
Yale University Art Gallery
1111 Chapel Street
New Haven, CT 06510
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Exhibition Opening Lecture
Edvard Munch (1863–1944) and Ernst Ludwig Kirchner (1880–1938) used printmaking—especially lithography and woodcut—in groundbreaking ways. Exploiting the visual and emotional power of color and abstraction, the artists portrayed what they perceived to be a fragmented, harrowing reality—not only for themselves but also for society more broadly. In this lecture, Jay A. Clarke, the Rothman Family Curator of Prints and Drawings, Art Institute of Chicago, explores the imagery Munch and Kirchner chose—including depictions of natural beauty, isolation, murder, and lust—as paths to individual and collective expression. An investigation of the artists’ biographies is only one method of approach to their production, while examining the material and technical inventions behind their work is another. By taking into account the joint impact of their imagery, psychology, and techniques, we can gain a fuller understanding of Munch and Kirchner’s contributions. Offered in conjunction with the exhibition Munch and Kirchner: Anxiety and Expression. Generously sponsored by the Martin A. Ryerson Lectureship Fund.