The Scream by Edvard Munch Analysis by Rachelle DiaB

Munch, Edvard

The Scream, 36x28.9inches

1893, Oil, Tempera, Pastel and Crayon on

Cardboard
The Norwegian Painter Edvard Munch was said to be an
expressive painter,painting this haunting Landscape picture of
an individual hairless, and sexless - exploring a psychological
theme. Screaming amid another two who are seemingly
unaware of his anxiety. It was said He 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 was blood and tongues of fire above the blueblack fjord and the city my friends walked on, and I stood
there trembling with anxiety and I sensed an infinite scream
passing through nature
Set on a bridge in oslo, Norway in 1893, against of backdrop of
orange sky and 2 masses of water (found in blue). The painting
titles the scream, was in norweigan skrik which sounds
similar to shriek in English, and the figure with an agonized
expression is laid against a landscape with a tumultuous
orange sky. Lines used to portray the bridge are diagonal, and
seemingly never ending, the diagonal lines mean chaos and
destruction whereas the indefinite ending means that the
chaos or destruction will never end. Brushstrokes incorporated
for the background were curves that flow up and into the
mountains circlular brushstrokes give hypnotic approach as if
one is in a daze, which relates to how the man is in a daze.
Form, we can see on the bridge the shading used to bring what
would be the 2 dimensional shape to 3 dimensions, give the
shape form. Space, Munch was able to bring the background to
the background, the middle ground to the middle ground and
the foreground to the foreground by using shading, and the
tinting and shading of colors for example: the further from the
creature you get, the lighter the colours incorporated whereas
when you get closer the colours get darker. Shapes, we can see
the shape of the mountains and the boats on one of the rivers
as well as the two individuals at the back all 2 dimensional
because they are all in black. an individual suffering
from depersonalization disorder experiences, a feeling of
distortion of the environment and one's self, [14] and also facial
pain in the form of Trigeminal neuralgia. Naturalist and
idealist. The degree of lightness in the picture is compromised

by the degree of darkness in the picture, notice that as you

scroll from the top of the painting to the bottom, colours
become gradually more dim leading to the subject of the
painting. This could mean that the subject of the painting
darkens its surroundings in a foreshadowing. The texture of the
painting must have been soft as both crayon and oils were used. This
makes the painting further disturbing because the image itself does
not portray softness, oxymoronic use of texture could further implicate
the confusion and dazedness portrayed by the swirled lines and
brushstrokes.
At the time of painting the work, Munch's manic
depressive sister Laura Catherine was a patient at the asylum
at the foot of Ekeberg of both a slaughterhouse and a lunatic
asylum to the site depicted in the painting may have offered
some inspiration. Munch was unsettled by the sexual
revolution going on at the time and by the independent women
around him. He later turned cynical concerning sexual matters,
expressed not only in his behavior and his art the hairless
and sexless creature. personally, its very shocking, at first
sight it causes the audience to gasp which makes they
communicate a specific meaning almost immediately to almost
every viewer, the title insinuates an outburst, to be free or not
to be free of the internal struggle e.g. to succumb or to
conform, the title is also quite obvious, why would he name his
picture something so obvious?
represents the internal struggle of people and to remove chaos
in any form e.g. emotional, psychological,
the subject of the painting is the hairless figure who is found
immediately at the forefront of the painting communicate a
specific meaning almost immediately to almost every viewer.
These few works have successfully made the transition from
the elite realm of the museum visitor to the enormous venue
of popular culture. Christian Munch (edvards dad) also instructed his son
entertained the children with vivid ghost-stories and tales of Edgar Allan Poe.[4]Munchs
father was a very religious point to the point of obsession, munch
claims he inherited madness from him, the fear of god, the fear of
death he claims had always stood by him
In a nutshell, Munch explored his own emotional and psychological

state depicting a state of mind rather than an external reality,

the man can be screaming, or cupping his hands over his ears
at the shock of someone else screaming and no one else can
here it. It causes anxiety, and to me, means representing the
universal anxiety of modern man. (related to the thinking

thinking man)writing in his diary his simple goal: "in my art I attempt to explain
life and its meaning to myself."[
Edvard's poor health and the vivid ghost stories, helped inspire macabre visions and
nightmares in Edvard, who felt death constantly advancing on him

What was going on in oslo which is where the picture was set in
What is the message he is trying to send across
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