THE SCREAM
1892
Edvard Munch
1863 - 1994
Edvard Munch was a painter from
Norway. His most famous piece, The
Scream, has become one of the most
iconic images in Western art. Illness,
loss, and the fear of acquiring a mental
disorder that ran in the family
dominated his upbringing.
I. LITERAL DESCRIPTION
The Scream is an autobiographical piece based
on a vision Munch had while out walking with two
acquaintances. In a diary post dated 22nd January
1892, he described the idea for the painting.
"Suddenly the sky turned a bloody red," the artist
recalls, and "the flaming skies hung like blood and
sword over the blue-black fjord and the city."
II. COMPREHESIVE FEELING
This kind of art always caught my attention
because it felt like there was a hidden, deep
meaning, and sometimes it gave me an uneasy
feeling that made me more curious about it. The
Scream artwork expresses the life that some people
are experiencing. During his time, mental illness was
still in the process of studying. Munch's mother and
sister both died of tuberculosis, while his father and
grandfather died due to depression. Edvard Munch's
other sister died due to schizophrenia, and later on,
his only brother died due to pneumonia. Munch
himself suffered from poor physical and mental
health and alcoholism. It made me think that if I
were in that position, I wouldn't have any reasons to
live, and I would choose to die.
III. FORMAL ANALYSIS
Another factor in the creation of this artwork
that results in the successful conveying of
burdensome emotions is the choice of color. Munch
uses intense colors such as orange, ochres, black,
and red that are utilized in the sky and appear to
burn. Furthermore, the diagonal and curvilinear
lines that divide the visual space into the earthly
brown tones of the walk, the blue tones of the river,
and the ones of the sky separate and emphasize the
composition of the three main color patches. In
short, Munch employs the main visual elements of
art such as lines, strong saturated colors, and tones.
IV. INTERPRETATIVE MEANING
Edvard Munch was a remarkable artist. The Scream
was painted in 1893 and exhibited at The National
Gallery of Oslo and it was stolen in 1994 which made it
famous. Even though his father does not encourage his
passion because he believes it is unholy, Munch does
not allow this to stop him from doing what he wants,
such as creating art on cardboard using oil, tempera,
and pastel. The artwork shows deep emotions because
of the deep meaning of it.
Sadly, Munch does this artwork due to his bad life
experiences. It is clear that this artwork inspires
strong emotions, and that discovering the identity
of the secretive inscription's author marks a turning
point in its interpretation.
V. VALUE JUDGEMENT
In my honest opinion, it inspires me to create art
not because I am frustrated or in despair, but
because of the technique used. It inspired me to
share feelings I had been holding in for about a year
by using art. We can't deny that this piece of art is
extraordinary. When compared to other pieces of
art, the approach used in The Scream is unusual. The
Scream is perfect for expressing his most secret and
horrifying feelings and emotions. It clearly
demonstrates modern man's anxiety. One interesting
detail about this is that it is one of the most
expensive works of art, costing $119,922,500 million,
and was auctioned off at Sotheby's on Wednesday,
May 2 to an anonymous buyer.
