Edvard Munch’s – “The Scream”

Also known as 'The Cry', Edvard Munch'spainting 'The Scream' (1893) is a well-known artwork sold for $119.9 million. It is a prime example of expressionist work. The expressionist painters worked to convey emotions rather than objective scenes. It became one of the famous paintings that got represented in popular culture. It was imitated and parodied. Famous pop artist Andy Warhol made a series of prints copying ‘The Scream’. The Scream series of horror movies have a ghost face mask worn by the antagonist. This celebrated painting by Munch had four versions- two in pastels and two in the paint.

Thoughts are the dry expressions of the mind; emotions make them juicy. We make these little humans understand that you must be able to direct it the way you wish. Unleash your power to be present in the moment. Once they deeply touch their lives by being conscious humans and not just being ordinary, they will turn other lives extraordinary. Observation is built upon with various consistent practices, building on a learning environment full of calm colors to be closer to nature, which allows for connecting with peers and a free flow of expression. Establishing a culture of mindfulness and observation will certainly have an absolute impact.

The period:

This painting was done in 1893 that is at the end of the 19th century during a transitional period known as the Fin de Siecle. Before this time, artists painted their subjects objectively. The amount of money they made was measured by their technique. This was when a camera and photography weren’t popular. But by the end of the 19th century, painters like Munch experimented by representing their inner world – the emotions and feelings that filled their heart and poured them onto the canvas. There was a prevalence of bright, exaggerated colours and shapes that were simple. Although gaining negative remarks and reaction from the critics, artists like Munch and Van Gogh set the scene for expressionists.

Life of Edward Munch:

As a child, he suffered due to health issues and even missed his school as a consequence of his illness. His father was a doctor who was overly religious. His mother died of tuberculosis when Edvard was only five years old. Losing his mother at such an early age was quite traumatic for the young Edvard. When he was 14 years old his favorite sister Johanne Sophie died in 1877. This deeply saddened him. To add to this, his father was verbally abusive. He even told his children that their mother was looking down from heaven and grieving because they were not behaving well. Imagine what impact this kind of behaviour had on Edvard's psyche. His father narrated various ghost stories which also added to the macabre atmosphere. The poor Munch was always under the fear that death was coming for him. Munch's younger sister Laura was diagnosed with mental illness. Of the five siblings, only Andreas married but he too died soon. Art Journal Foundation Munch wrote 'I inherited two of mankind’s most frightful enemies – the heritage of consumption and insanity.'

Impact of emotions on the Artwork:

This particular piece 'The scream ' was autobiographical in nature. 22 January 1892 diary entry of Munch

‘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 colour shrieked. This became The Scream.’

Inspiration for the image:-

I was walking along the road with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there were 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. Munch was taking a walk at dusk with some friends by the water. This otherwise simple walk turned out to be a moment of great anxiety for Munch. According to Munch himself, the Scream was painted to represent his soul. It was a moment of existential crisis. (Existential crises are moments when individuals question whether their lives have meaning. One becomes disillusioned. Psychological trauma, separation, major loss, death of loved one, psychoactive drug use can lead to it) As we know, Munch had been sad for most of his life due to the untimely death of his mother and then of his loved sister. It was as if whoever he loved was taken away from him. One couldn’t expect much from a verbally abusive father. Munch did not marry and his love life was tumultuous in general, giving him more pain than happiness. This all contributed to his existential crisis. Also, long term illness can be very exhausting and takes away all the enthusiasm and joy of life and leaves one drained. So all these factors contributed to the gloominess in his life. He was suffering from mental health issues because of all these traumatic experiences.

Some believe he had a 'depersonalization disorder'.‘Depersonalization disorder occurs when you persistently or repeatedly have the feeling that you're observing yourself from outside your body or you have a sense that things around you aren't real or both.' (Mayoclinic) It is thought to originate from childhood abuse. Munch himself mentions having anxiety. Studies have found that the severity of abuse and neglect is associated with increased depression and anxiety symptoms in adulthood. The more severe the abuse the more likely the victim shows anxiety and depression.

About Edvard Munch’s panic attack:

Before his momentary breakdown, one of his sisters was committed to a mental asylum because of severe mental health issues. Near the city of Oslo is a road in a commune called Ekeberg, that overlooks Oslo Fjord. At the time when Munch might have walked on it, the road was a path and interestingly a slaughterhouse and a mental asylum was located in the proximity. The sound of animals that were mercilessly killed could have been the 'scream of nature,' Munch mentions. Also, Munch was visiting his younger sister who had been recently admitted into the asylum. So we see, all these tragedies in his personal life were enough to make him have a panic attack when he was walking that road. He felt like screaming in that moment of overwhelming agony and disturbance. It was as if he was getting bogged down by all the weight of this world. It was as if his powerful troubled emotions were choking him. Most artists express their emotions, be it exhilaration or agony, through their work. Poets write poems and painters paint when any emotion overwhelms them.

Techniques used in “The Scream”:

The cry of nature involves everything suffering from the same anxiety as it is suffering. The man and the landscape are one in experiencing this agony. The Fjord and human figure both follow wavy forms. The materials and paints used by Munch are uncertain. There is no use of varnish. Haphazard use of oils, pastels, crayons and pencils is there. The ghostly figure was painted with full yellow, beige and purple. Dark and light accents at the top emphasise the screaming of the figure. Based on the analysis, Munch used pigments including cadmium yellow, vermilion, ultramarine blue and viridian. The sunset is painted in exaggerated orange and red while other things are painted in green, purples, greys and pale blue. The ghostly figure is painted in melancholic colours – purple, blue and pale yellow. There is thus a clear contrast in colours. There are swirling lines and distorted forms. Although the bridge and the other two people are painted in rigid lines, these two people are simple and abstract. This is in contrast to the main ghostly figure with long hands, a curved body and mummy-like face.