P.S. Don't smoke.

I asked him personally and he said he just wanted to paint the cig to fuck with you.

"The tragic relationship between madness & creativity is undeniable. Some ran from that fact, others refused to look away."

A fun and frustrating story: My grandfather had a store in Tønsberg, an hour away from Oslo. One day a crooked and shoddy figure showed up to buy paint and brushes.. but he had no money and offered my grandfather some paintings as payment. My grandfather said no, and since he felt sorry for this man, he gave him the paint and brushes for free. That man was Edvard Munch, and my family would be rich today if he took those painting.. Damn you, grandpa!

You think they'll analyze blunts and Snoop Dogg in 250 years?

literally the best cigarette ad ever

ah bohemians, the hipsters before hipsters.

I interviewed many drug addicts once for a project. One of the common statements about cigarettes is that they were anchoring. Even in the midst of hallucination or paranoia the cigarette, independently, remained stable and anchored in reality. By smoking the drug addict could keep something of a grip on the real world. Nicotine is a useful drug when removed from the harm of the tobacco leaf. Keep 'em coming.

Just a side note, when Munch is describing an “infinite scream passing through nature” there is speculation that it’s possible he was looking at the volcanic ash of Krakatoa in Indonesia. The eruption was so great it was heard for over a 1,000 miles and caused a tsunami. The cubic volume of ash ejected into the atmosphere was enormous and would have caused redder sunsets around the globe.

I like how you offhandedly mention stuff with the visuals without incorporating it into the script. like briefly showing a picture of oscar wilde and allowing the view to make the connection. it makes it more enjoyable and rewarding for attentive viewing yet keeps the attentiveness optional - the video can be enjoyed at whatever level you choose. im sure i would have enjoyed it on another level again if i had known all the art that was on the screen so i could have linked my understanding of them to the ideas in the video. top notch

"Attacked pretty much every kind of art that wasn't up to his moral standards as poisonous and corrupting." Ugh, every generation has one of these, doesn't it.

That piano track in this video is beautiful.

Nice! One of the comments last video was to let the end breathe before he moved onto the thank you section, and he did!

It would be nice if enough people still gave a shit about art for paintings to be called a corrupting influence on society

No one will probably read this, but this was damn touching. Touching in that realm between reason and feeling. All explained with a damn cigarette. Thank you Nerdwriter1, I will no longer look away

what if he was like "no.i just added a cigarette cause i thought it looked cool."?

Really enjoyed this, and seriously good luck in LA!

I appreciate that you really tried to pronounce his name correctly.

Nerdwriter: "Munch uses the cigarette as a symbol of the bohemian lifestyle and mental health issues arising in the period" Munch: "Idk, I thought it looked cool"

How? How is it possible that you consistently release such quality content?

Evan, great video. I would love if you could do a video on modern art. Me and my friends got into a fierce discussion about modern art; me arguing for it's merits, and my friend argueing about its "pointlessness" and "meaninglessness", it's empty attempt to be as edgy as possible. I am far from an art expert, i'm not even that knowledgeable at all about it, so I would love to hear your viewpoint about it. Regardless, great video and keep up the good work!

I wish you had listed the art you displayed.

Edward munch and his bohemian contemporaries can generally be categorised as a people who completely immersed and lost themselves into the world of art, perceived in their own way, so that they don’t feel any sort of existence other than their artistic expression. This gives an impression about falling into the artistic insanity, a part which is present in each and everyone of us, but in this case conquered all of their mental state giving rise to their complete loss of them self and immersing themselves in their art. Can this be considered as a sort of artistic existentialism?

Creativity is about perceiving and approaching the universe in an uncustomary way. Madness and art are forever intertwined.

Happy Anniversary! :-) And thanks for the continuous flow of great info!

Happy anniversary!! Thanks for the awesome video, Munch is my favorite artist!

This remains my favourite piece you've done. It's a wonderful glimpse into a world I would've otherwise passed over. I especially love the complicated sense of awe and reflection the musical pause at the end of your video evokes. Really hope you do more of these.

I am SO glad I came across this channel... this is so amazing and educational... I love how you dive into the individual subject, how you express everything, the editing, the narration, all just perfect... I could watch this for hours!

Wow! this one really resonated with me. I didn't know this painting. They never mentioned it in art school and I never looked into Munch's work either. I will message you privately and send you a painting I made and I think you'll understand why This one really spoke to me. Thank you for sharing this work and your insights on it. This (among many other reasons) is why I love your channel and the work you produce. Thank you! and Congratulations on your anniversary, it's just the most wonderful feeling when you realize you've finally met "That Person" who changes it all for you, eh?

this is such a great video, such a strong message and I've learned so much. glad I found this channel

You really have mastered the video essay - well produced, fascinating, and informative in a way that can interest me in things I did not know I was interested in

What a thoroughly incredible video. I love your explorations of art, the meaning behind the little details, and your ability to paint a vivid picture of the topography (both physical and mental) and the prevailing atmosphere the artist was inhabiting when he created his work. You've genuinely fostered a deeper appreciation for and understanding of art within me and I sincerely thank you for that! I got a chance to see the night watchman in Amsterdam a short while after your video on it came out and I don't think that I would have been so captivated by it and all the paintings surrounding it if I hadn't seen that and your other videos on art previously. Keep making videos like these. I adore them. Thanks again.

An idea: when finishing the video, soon after all the reflection, put the painting of the episode at the end. I think this is the best time to enjoy painting.

Aww, the ending confession of love to your sweetheart was adorable. I'm sure she liked it very much ✨😁💖

Really feel that this is your best production, always come back to this one

I watched this video years ago, but it stuck with me and last month I got to see this painting at the Musee d’Orsay in Paris as part of a Munch exhibition, and I was so grateful for having watched this video, as it gave me a lot of context. Munch is definitely one of my favorite artists..

Would love to see a video on 'Midnight in Paris' on theme of 'nostalgia' and 'golden age thinking'

YES I LOVE THE PAINTING ONES!

oh my where this channel have been all my life respect man I needed something like this to listen to its gonna keep me busy and help shape my own mind and thought around a couple of subject that are bugging me keep up the wonderful work

I absolutely love your videos. No matter what topic the video is about, after watching any video of your channel I feel so deeply inspired to think and research more about things. The way you showcase things, the emphasis on each word captivates me immensely. Always looking forwards to your videos.

Hey Nerdwriter! Could you maybe do an 'Understanding the Art'-Episode on the movie Enemy, directed by Denis Villeneuve?

These videos are absolutely stunning. Thank you.

KZfaq recommended one of these videos and keeps doing so. I love watching them. I’ve always wondered my whole life what people saw in paintings cause I didn’t know. I didn’t see anything. I’m 66. Now I’m starting to learn. Makes me want to go to a art showing with someone and stand in front of a painting pointing out things and make people think I’m a real art critic. Ha ha. It’s fun to learn something new. Thank you.

I'm glad to see someone doing so well in life by making great and relevant things. This videos truly make a difference.

WHAT IS THAT PIANO PIECE STARTING FROM THE BEGINNING??? The dissonance is somehow so calming for me, I love it.

Your videos are so high quality, im impressed

I just love every single one of these videos. You talk about such interesting topics in such a way that it enables me to look for the same things in those works and others. Also, your voice could be used as a tranquilizer (in a good way) in that it is so soothing. Continue doing these forever, please.

Thanks for this video, it was the first time I saw this painting... And I could not hold my tears back... It's just a wonderful and great painting.

Wow, this was crazy insightful. I wonder if this in any way connects to me and my feelings as of some time. Recently I feel like I've been my whole life in thoughts, doubting myself, but since I've gotten to grow up, I'm starting to process a lot of my childhood and my surroundings. A lot of these feelings unload in creative actions. I fear, that I will never have the raw talent of the great people in this world, but I'm just used to putting myself down. That's why I'm trying to knock this idea out of my head. I feel like it's something that happens if you bottle up your feelings. It's nice to know this solitude is just an illusion and even great artists shared these irrational doubts.

So enjoyable man, keep it up!

I absolutely love Your art deconstructing videos!

I am in love with Munch and his art and I am incredibly thankful for this informative video.

I love Munch, he is one of my favourites, I'm just disappointed by how the scream is often the only considered painting. He ha been so avantguard, such a great landscapist, symbolic, a surrealism that trascended realism for emotional, existential reasons. He truly represents one of my guru.

As a medical student interested in art, I loved this video about Munch. For me, Munch has always been one of the greats. An artist who understood his suffering and relayed them through his art. The raw emotions displayed from his early paintings to later in the career is a testament of how Munch's psyche shaped his work.

i absolutely love your art study videos! Thanks!

That self portrait is so beautiful, I love it so much

Me: Edward Munch The guys name: Evard Moonk

“The tragic relationship between madness and creativity is undeniable.”

You're a genius in how you put this together. Thanks for making me and others appreciate art. I love your show.

Thank you for the wonderful video. Congratulations on your anniversary. Wishing you love and joy.

I've learnt more from you in the past 3 hours than I have in the past 5 years. Please, never stop making videos.

I had no idea you were dating Lissette from DNews. You make such a sweet couple! Gratz on the one year!

This is my favorite painting. Thank you for sharing this.

Amazingly detailed and insightful video with gorgeous images and a fascinating topic. Thank you for creating.

Happy anniversary to you and your girlfriend! Thanks for the upload always love watching these, I find that my university lectures are always quite dry and the information is hard to absorb. You make the information easy to digest! Also I'm wondering what the picture at 5:42 is from.

feel like a smoke now.

Such good videos. Top shelf content I feel I can use with my art students.Thanks for including the references in the description.

this is the video that sparked something in me that made me major in art history.. thank you nerdwriter :)

The music in the beginning is called: Dreams become real - Keven Macleod

coming back to this video i've come to realise that most artists paint what they like not knowing what the painting projects in some kind of way the viewers fill whats needed to make a story out of a portrait

You deserve all the best, man! I hope you get 1 million subscribers not just for your dreams to be fulfilled and you to speak to a whole lot of people, but for the said lot of people to connect through your work and to understand that life a continuous process of creation. We are created&creative creations. Art can come in many forms, but it will flow only if you understand and know yourself/your selves, as in many personalities :) May you grow to become a model for people who don't have enough faith in themselves! Keep up the amazing job! Cheers from Romania

I enjoyed the way you moved from topic to topic in this videos. Cigarettes, bohemian lifestyles, art, and mental illness. I thought it tied together nicely. Learned a lot, as always.

Happy anniversary! That was so cute

beautiful, could you maybe (possibly a bit of a stretch) do a video on the beatles and thier music/image etc. and why they were so popular?. love the videos, thnx

i just found you today. you are excellent! spent several hours learning about theory of mind after your "the office" video. this is great.

Dude, your video-essays are awesome!

I smoke a pipe, however t'is not a pipe.

Everytime I see one of your videos i smile :)

Watching nerdwriter while tripping is mind blowing and beautiful.

Very incisive and engaging analysis. I love how the convergence of so many things (mental illness, existential dread, class friction, adventurous art) is explored so accessibly.

Could you do a video about Rothko?

The last part - he moving into his new apartment with his girlfriend ..made me sad for some reason

These videos always make me feel so enlightened

I subscribed to your channel for your videos on film, but I keep coming back for the ones about painting. These videos are so well made, I hope they help modern audiences appreciate painting more.

Congrats guys

There is a correlation in addiction, particularly in tobacco with mental problems (eg. Schzophrenia) physicians back then were probably making some (though unscientific) accurate observation. But they are very much wrong since correlation is far from causation.

Really love this channel, it is so nice to have so many different inputs, varying from art, film. Always a pleasure to see a new video from you

A very good and insightful view both art and the influences that inspire it. The Scream has been a good identifier in explaining to others what anxiety often feels like. It may not be my perfect representation but it is something that is illuminative. I appreciate this as someone who has experienced the harness of the mind and as an artist who tries to express the wonders of the mind. Thank you.

So this means I don't have to quit smoking right

damn... thats all I had to say after the video, great job

probably one of my favorite videos so far, excellent work!

These videos are amazing. So glad I've just discovered them.

Skull of a Skeleton with Burning Cigarette is still one of the coolest paintings I've seen

could you do a video about 2001:A space odessy, or just Stanley Kubrick 😀😀

This might be your best video to date...just the right balance of substance and personal interpretation

Love Munch! It's amazing to see how such a tiny detail can be put there for such a considered reason! Great video!

This made me crave a smoke so so bad.

hey man. I'm kind of going to break off into a digression but here goes: KZfaqr Channel Criswell is going through some rough times what with copyright infringement on one of his recent videos (his stanley kubrick one from february to be exact.) now the reason i'm commenting on your video is because i believe you have the growing fan base and the potential knowledge to help his situation. from everything i know, he is in the right. he doesn't know what to do at all. his videos are spectacular -- just as yours. his videos open up the mind in the most natural sense of the word and allow for his audiences to truly consider and reconsider every sort of factor in the beautiful time-spelling art of film making. it is understood that you are a youtuber and he is a youtuber and you both use this wonderful platform of youtube to dispel wondrous information to the public. but you can help out too. if even just a shout out to his cause in one of your coming videos were to dispense, the context of the situation would radiate throughout and we could all democratically help each other, you know? thanks

CONGRATULATIONS!!!! I'm very happy for you guys. You have allowed my friends and I able to have many discussions and learn some amazing things about high art and different artists and their techniques. I can not thank you enough, you have expanded our appreciation for art, I don't know of many greater gifts in all the world. So thank you very very much!

This one was really good! Also, thank you for putting a pause at the end of the video! :D