Paint like a master: Adobe brings to life the 100-year old brushes of Edvard Munch

[Arthur]

Blog / Download (for Photoshop and Sketch)

 

Classic pieces of artwork are treasured for thousands of years; Mona Lisa, Whistler’s Wife, Starry Night, the list is endless. These iconic works can transcend time in the ideas they provoke and stir in the observer.

 

The unsung heroes of these famous paintings are the tools which created them. Many museums keep the brushes used to create such masterpieces out of sight, and in many cases, some artwork is also hidden away to avoid light or UV damage. To increase the accessibility of these classic pieces, prestigious museums like The Met in New York and in The Rijksmuseum Amsterdam have started to release their collections online.

 

To celebrate digital preservation of masterpieces, we at Adobe have teamed up with The Munch Museum in Oslo and award winning Photoshop brush maker Kyle T. Webster to recreate digital versions of the more than 100-year-old original brushes used by Edvard Munch, painter of the famous artwork ‘The Scream’, in order to make them available in Creative Cloud for Photoshop and Sketch users worldwide.

 

This world-first collaboration, which we call The Hidden Treasures of Creativity, will open endless possibilities to a new generation of artists and allow them to use the forgotten tools of an iconic artist in today’s digital age.

 

Edvard Munch: An icon of modern art

Edvard Munch is regarded as one of the greatest artists of all time. ‘The Scream’, arguably the most famous painting from his oeuvre, is one of the most recognisable in the world. It is also one of the most valuable paintings in history, sold at auction in 2012 for nearly $120 million. Imagine if one day a digital piece of art was valued at the same price!

 

Born in 1863, Munch painted for more than sixty years until his death in 1944. His exceptional craftsmanship and ground-breaking techniques 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, he willed all of his artworks to the city of Oslo and today many of his paintings can be admired in The Munch Museum. Munch’s tools were also donated and are now preserved in the highly restricted museum archives where they have lay until now.

 

 

Imagine being able to use the brushes once wielded by a master like Edvard Munch. From the vaults of the Oslo Munch museum they have now been digitally recreated by Photoshop expert Kyle T. Webster for you to use. How might they inspire your creativity?