Art in Past Pandemics

Edvard Munch

Among the many classical works of art reflecting on past pandemics, perhaps among the best known are the series of works painted by Edvard Munch during and after the Influenza pandemic in 1918.
“Megan O’Grady, in the New York Times’ Style Magazine, wrote an article headlined, “What Can We Learn From the Art of Pandemics Past?” in which she notes: From the playground game ring-around-the-rosy to the short stories of Edgar Allan Poe, the scars of illnesses throughout history are still visible today.” The article features works by Edvard Munch, Peter Bruegel the Elder, Egon Schiele, with observations from Susan Sontag, and others. Read the full article at nytimes.com.
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