The Scream by Edvard Munch - Essay Example

Created by the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, the Scream actually was a series of paintings done in different media. The one I have chosen to write about is one of the series done in oil and pastel on cardboard. Measuring roughly 91 cm? 73.5 cm or 36 in? 28.9 in, the painting was made in 1893. It currently resides at the National Gallery in Oslo, Norway. The painting depicts a figure standing on a bridge, screaming in agony against a dark, formidable sky. The scene sits in the setting of Oslofjord in Oslo.

The painting, hauntingly striking was initially christened Der Schrei der Natur in Norwegian, or the Scream of Nature. The current Skrik, when loosely translated bestows upon it the title it is known by. Munch in a journal entry recorded sensing “an infinite scream passing through nature”, while out walking one day accompanied by friends. There are various theories about the inspiration behind the creation. Munch painted what he felt, as described in the journal entry mentioned. Another theory places the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 behind the visual inspiration for the blood-red background, disputed by scholars who claim him to be expressive rather than descriptive in his style.

Others attribute the figure’s cadaverous appearance to be caused by Munch’s probable visits to the Museum of Natural History in Florence or during the Exposition Universelle in Paris where such mummified exhibits were on display. Then again, there are many who compare the environment of The Scream to that experienced by sufferers of depersonalization disorder, arguing that Munch probably suffered from the ailment. It is quite a famous painting in my opinion, instantly recognizable like the Mona Lisa.

It has featured in many movies, being the inspiration behind the mask in the Scream series of films; programs as well as in print media. Caricaturized, humored, or revered, The Scream is pretty much a public figure. The picture is chilling: despite the features being unclear, the sense of dread and foreboding is very well translated by the figure’s general stance. The gripping of its own face with talon-like hands and the mouth open in a never-ending scream of agony. The sky looks scary.

The picture is what a nightmare probably would look like, painted on canvas. I liked the picture due to its starkness and the deftness with which the artist has communicated what he felt. It is a very memorable painting.