About The Artist - Edvard Munch (December 12, 1863 - January 23, 1944)

Edvard Munch was a Symbolist painter and printmaker from Norway. He was an important precursor of Expressionistic art.

About The Painting - The Scream

The Scream is the best known painting of Edvard Munch. It is a part in a series called The Frieze of Life, in which the artist has tried to look into the various dark themes of life, love, death, fear and melancholy. It was typical of Edvard Much to paint several versions of a painting; two of the Scream's versions are Despair and Anxiety.

The Scream is a fine example of Expressionistic art, much like others in Munch's oeuvre. It is said, that this painting symbolizes the existential angst experienced by the humans. The background of Scream is the landscape of Oslofjord viewed from atop the Ekeberg hill. The Norwegian word "Skirk" can be translated as "scream" in English and the painting is seldom known as "The Cry."

The reddish background represents the sky, and may have been inspired by the aftermath of the extremely powerful volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883. Interestingly enough, the person in the foreground is believed to the artist and is trying to protect himself from the scream of Nature rather than screaming himself. The depiction of the position could be a representation of typical reflex action for anyone who is struggling to shield him from disturbing noise.

In 20th century, the Scream has acquired iconic status in pop-culture. The iconic stature of the Scream is comparable to the other iconic works of art such as Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci. The original title for the work given by Munch was "Der Schrei der Natur" in German and Munch described his inspiration for the painting in his diary like this:

"I was walking along a path with two friends-the sun was setting-suddenly the sky turned blood red-I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence-there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city-my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety-and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature." -Edvard Munch