The Original Brushes of Edvard Munch
To make it possible for anyone to paint with the brushes of a master, Adobe has transformed the brushes of Norwegian painter Edvard Munch into Photoshop brushes. Working in collaboration with The Munch Museum in Oslo, and award winning Photoshop brush maker Kyle T. Webster, Munch’s original, century-old brushes are now available in digital form for future generations of artists.
An Icon of Modern Art
Edvard Munch is regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time.
’The Scream’, his most famous painting, is one of the most recognizable in the world. It is also one of the most valuable paintings in history, sold at auction for nearly $120 million. Born in 1863, Munch painted for more than sixty years until his death in 1944. His exceptional craftsmanship and groundbreaking technique have made him an icon of modern art. Today, his legacy lives on, continuing to influence and inspire artists around the world. When Munch died in 1944, he willed all of his artworks to the city of Oslo, where today, many of his well known paintings hang in The Munch Museum. Though not on public display, the tools Munch used to create his masterpieces are also part of the museum’s collection. His brushes are locked away, preserved in the highly restricted museum archives.
The Science of Capturing Munch’s Brushes
To preserve the legacy of Edvard Munch, Adobe set out to create digital replicas of Munch’s original paintbrushes. Working closely with the museum’s conservation experts, each original brush was photographed in 360 degrees using ultra-high-resolution cameras, documenting all angles and details to create an accurate three dimensional representation. Munch’s artistic style and brushwork was closely analysed by specialists, and combined with data about the brushes’ attributes, including physical properties such as flexibility and bristle type.
