Edvard Munch

Mini biography: Munch was born in 1863 in Norway. His paintings personified his emotions. His upbringing was heavily reflected in his art which focused on illness, death and grief. After 1909 his works became less intense due to a mental breakdown that he received extensive therapy for.

The Scream

1893

Tempra Pastels on Cardboard

35 ¾ x 29 in

Commentary on the work: “The actual mental image of the existential angst of civilized man”.

Background information: “The Scream” is part of the series “The Frieze of Life”. The series as a whole focuses on life, death, love of mysticism. The emotion of anxiety is clearly distinct in the painting which is something that Munch suffered from. According to Munch’s diary entry the idea behind the painting was that, “One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord—the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became The Scream.”

Relation to the exhibition: The intense emotions you get from looking and analyzing the painting is why I have picked it for my exhibition. It is filled with such negative energy and gives the audience an uneasy feeling. It seems to be a grim state of mind.