On 1 April 2021, I took a virtual/visual tour of an exhibition of the works of established English artist Tracey Emin and Norwegian expressionist and painter Edvard Munch at 5:55pm. The tour is part of a larger exhibition that people can visit in person from May 2021. There I saw a variety of paintings and other works of art. The art forms involved are paintings, writing, sculptures and neon lights (the paintings were made using oil paint, crayon, acrylic paint, pencil, watercolour paint, neon lights (normal and white) and bronze with white patina). I found the work fascinating.
I liked the usage of different art styles in Emin’s and Munch’s paintings because it helps give a variety to their expressions. I did not like the fact that due to the tour being virtual, you can’t see the names of the artists next to their work, making it difficult to identify which paintings are by Emin or Munch. It was impossible to get up close to the works of art as one would if you visited a gallery in person because this is a virtual tour. It is also impossible to zoom in to get a clearer look. The unexpected thing in the exhibition was the powerful use of explicit, personal, adult language and content explored in Emin and Munch’s works.
The exhibition made me feel empathetic towards Emin and Munch, because their work, explicit messages in their art and the titles of the art pieces paint a very clear picture of their interpretation of their early lives and their feelings. Out of the two artists in the exhibition, I think that Emin’s childhood has had a huge influence on her.
Artists can use different techniques and mediums of art like watercolour, pencil, acrylic paint and neon text for their work. At age 18, Emin became aware of and was fascinated by Munch’s work. She felt an infinity with him and saw him as ‘a friend in art’. This inspired her to explore the problems of the human condition and reference Munch in her work, explaining the two artists’ similarity in colour and the usage of dark topics (abuse and loss) and emotional language. Emin has a wide range of skills as an artist. For example, in ‘Seated Female Nude with Blue Stockings’ she uses watercolour paint; in ‘The only place you came to me was in my sleep’ and ‘There is nothing left but you’, she uses bronze sculptures with white patina. In ‘You were here like the ground underneath my feet’, she uses acrylic paint. Other examples of her work include the usage of writing in the tour, oil pastel, pencil and white neon text (‘MY C**T IS WET WITH FEAR’). Emin’s paintings have an abstract look, express sexuality and use explicit language. In contrast to Emin, Munch’s paintings (some of which Emin has chosen to use) change everyday life into art, use watercolour paint (‘Reclining Female Nude’), oil paints and crayon (‘Sitting Nude: Morning’ and ‘Weeping Woman’), expressed his faceted relationship with women, and seem more realistic and conservative in terms of today’s perspective. Born 100 years apart, I feel that both artists complement each other in their subjects and expressions.
From looking at the paintings, I get the feeling that Emin and Munch’s work are powerful and fitting for today’s discussion of women and emotions, because people are stuck at home due to the coronavirus pandemic. Therefore, the title is appropriate and powerful. On a personal note, the virtual tour has given me a good impression of art from a woman’s perspective.
Link: https://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibition/tracey-emin-edvard-munch
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