The Scream Distinctively Visual

Edvard Munch was a Norwegian artist from the late 1800s who was best known for his emotion evoking pieces of art such as The Scream and The Sick Child. The Scream was a compelling piece of art made in 1893 during the post-impressionism period, which was a transitional phase in art history, prior to the expressionist era. During this period, artists attempted to make the sole focus of their art about their inner emotions as opposed to the realist era, in which it was a trend to display art in a realistic sense, without adding personal feeling. The Scream is one of the most famous pieces of art today, due to its ability to elicit a myriad of visceral emotions from the viewers. One of they key elements of the painting that resonates with myself
and many viewers is the deep psychological aspect incorporated in the painting that Munch portrays in the piece to distribute the sense of the depth in his personal emotional tribulations. Munch portrays his intent of the piece through his painting style, such as through the use of exaggerated, bright colors of oil, tempera, pastel, and crayon, as well as the mysterious iconic figure that immediately attracts attention, due to the gruesomely agonizing facial expression that cannot go unnoticed. The piece overall provides a level of depth in regards to emotion that is shown through his use of painting elements such as the shapes and colors, however, the full level of depth is not easily conceivable without deep interpretation of all aspects of the piece. When first viewing The Scream, an element that easily catches the eye is the display of dramatic colors such as the vivid deep red-orange skies swirled with darker shades of blue, creating a sense of confusion whilst also reeling the viewer in.
The linear aspects provide a chaotic sense in regards Munch’s continuous use of repeated parallel lines to define the main objects. One peculiar linear aspect is the bold diagonal of the railing. Although it is drawn slightly diagonal, adding to the sense of chaos, it also provides a sense of stability due to it being the only straight element amidst the rest of the swirled lines drawn in the rest of the piece, which therefore creates a grounding
effect. One factor of The Scream that makes it so compelling is the level of ambiguity it offers to the viewer. The piece may be interpreted in various different ways and leaves the viewer attempting to decipher whether it is intended to invoke fear, panic, sympathy, etc. The central figure is undoubtedly the most controversial element of the piece, although many also question the purpose of the two shadowy figures lurking in the background. The predictions about the lurking figures have been widely diverse, whether they play a role in the figures terror, or if they are simply just passing by, not having noticed the figure at all. However, according to a series of personal diary entries written by Edvard Munch, the inspiration behind The Scream roots back to an epiphany he suddenly had, whilst looking over a Norwegian landscape.
Munch inscribes “[he] was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. [he] stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. [His] friends went on walking, while [he] lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then [he] heard the enormous infinite scream of nature.” Through Munch’s inscription, it can be assumed that the terrorized figure is a depiction of Munch himself, and the look of anguish shown through the figure is his inner sense of crisis and mental distress in that moment caused by the visceral scream of nature. Munch suffered from multiple mental illnesses and bared a heap of emotional distress after the death of his sister. The purpose of his art was to release his grief and to unveil the despair he held within. He uses the figure to represent himself in ways he was not able to display in reality. Taking on this style of art where the main subjects are symbols of personal emotion is what ignited the start of the expressionism
period. One piece of art that is closely similar and shares various correlations to The Scream is Vincent Van Gogh’s, The Starry Night. For one, both pieces were created during the same transitional period of post impressionism and the beginning of the expressionist era.They are both known for having initiated the expressionist period and sparking inspiration for other artists to follow in their paths. Both pieces provide their viewers with something to think about and a meaning that requires a deeper thought as opposed to the previously established art of impressionism that didn’t require much interpretation to fully fathom the meaning. The Starry Night also incorporates the use of swirled brush strokes and deep colors to stimulate an emotional response. Van Gogh, like Munch, suffered from various mental illnesses that served as inspiration to his artwork. In a historical aspect, The Scream was made during the Victorian time period. During this time it was uncommon for artists to express such emotion as Munch did for all of society to be exposed to. The Victorian period was typically more known for conservative and modest forms of art thus making Munch’s work a shock to society at the time.