Last September, during my trip through Scandinavia, we stopped briefly in Norway. We only had one day to spend, in Oslo, and I insisted in going to visit the Munch Museum. I didn’t get to see “The Scream”, but the exhibition was impressive nonetheless.

More than the paintings, what I enjoyed the most was to learn about the artist’s life, and about the man himself… The museum presented a filmed interview with one of Munch’s muses, in his later years.

Edvard Munch intrigues me… Like Hans Christan Andersen and Auguste Rodin. If I could find a time machine, they would be the kind of people I’d want to meet in person.

Anyway, where am I going, with this Munch blabbering?

While surfing around this afternoon, I came across this quote from Edvard Munch (I didn’t find the English official version, I’ll try to translate it to my best. But it won’t be anywhere as lovely as the original…) and I sighed.

“Je me mis au défi de prononcer son nom au grand air, marchant avec vigueur pour assourdir le son de ma voix. Je commençai par murmurer tout doucement ces deux mots qui sentaient le soufre. Puis je lâchai son nom à voix haute.”

EDVARD MUNCH

“I challenged myself to pronounce her name in the outdoor, walking vigorously to muffle the sound of my voice. I started by whispering softly those two sulfury words. Then I released her name aloud.”