Edvard Munch "The Scream"
(1863-1944)
Edvard Munch was a Norwegian artist. He was brought up
in a fairly wealthy family; his father was a doctor in the
army. Although, he lived a sad life, Tuberculosis (TB) ran
in his family. He had bad health as a child and often missed
a lot of school. He developed his artistic imagination in the
time he spent indoors. He was only aged five when his
mother died ofTB. Sophie, his sister also died ofTB aged
only six and unfortunately his father and brother also died
of TB when he was a teenager. He would properly have felt
scared, lost, isolated all of these words could describe the
way he would have felt. Grieving for the loss of his family
gave him a purpose for his art.
One of his most famous pieces of art is called "The
Scream". This consists of a figure standing on a bridge,
the bridge over looks a large lake. In the background the
lake and sunset are merging together to make beautiful
swirls of colour. There are also a small island and some
grass. In the distance two figures are walking along the
bridge. The figure looks as if it is scared or stressed about
something. The focal point of the picture is the figure's
head.
The figure is standing to the right side of the painting in the
foreground. The two other figures are at the left side in the
background. The figures head is in the middle of the page,
its head is the size of the people in the background, this
shows how far away way they are. The handrail of the
bridge is made up of diagonal lines that run straight through
the foreground.
The sky is made up of oranges and yellows, the warm
colours. The sea and mountains are made up of blues and
greens, these colours often mean sadness and pain. The
figures face is lemon yellow with a hint of lime green; this
could mean that he is ill. The mood of the painting is sad
and angry. Munch uses a variety of dark and light paint. He
uses blacks and browns but also lemons and whites. The
contrast of colour emphasises the objects. His choices of
colour show his feelings and thoughts.
Munch has used a variety of different brush strokes. The
lines vary from wavy to straight. He has also varied the
thickness of the brush. In my opinion this makes the
painting interesting. I think the lines create a sense of
movement, especially in the background where the lake is.
The lake has been painted using wavy and curved lines.
This makes the water look as if it is moving slowly and
flowing.
I think Munch worked quickly. He once said
"] paint from memory, not what I see ".
Therefore Edvard had the painting already in his mind, he
did not need to think about it, it came naturally to him and
the brush.
I don't think the style of painting is realistic. "The Scream"
is unique from any other painting; there is no other one like
it. I think the style of painting is expressive as Edvard did
not paint the painting for people to look at it; he painted it
to tell his family's story and their struggles.
Munch has used scale in the picture, one of example of this
is the two figures in the background are the same size as the
figure's head. This shows how far away they are from the
main figure. This may be to symbolise the fact that
Edvard has no family and he is alone.
I like the painting it has a meaning and a sense of mystery.
It gets you to think about Edvard's life but also your own
life. It shows us that people die, and that there is no
stopping this, it happens but we have to move on. This may
be hard and painful but you have to do it and we have to
live each day to the full because you don't know if it's your
last. The painting tells a story ofEdvard's struggle through
the grieving process for his family.
I think the painting inspired other artists to be brave and
paint what they felt in the moment. The critics said that
Edvard's work
"Was an insult to art".
But he didn't let this knock his confidence he continued to
paint and produce excellent art that many people could
relate to. I think this inspired artists but also the people who
viewed his work.