The Theme Of Suffering Through Art

Artists often display emotion through their artwork. In 1604, Caravaggio painted the Entombment of Christ. Vincent Van Gogh painted Starry Night in 1889. Very close after, Edvard Munch painted The Scream in 1893. Lastly, Pablo Picasso painted Guernica in 1937. These four images convey the recurring theme of suffering through art. Caravaggio used oil on canvas to create the painting Entombment of Christ. This painting has many significant points that shows that the artists was expressing the emotion of suffering. As one looks at the painting, their eye directly goes to the people, which is the main focus of the work. Caravaggio purposely had a black background, so the foreground would be the center of attention. This technique has actually
He used tempera and casein, which was created on cardboard. Edvard Munch was different from Van Gogh in which he received lots of publicity during his lifetime. When one looks at The Scream painting, you see that the figure shrieking is actually genderless. The figure has a pale face and a sense of fear in it’s expression. You can tell it is the main focus of the painting because the figure is in the foreground and it feels as if it is almost close enough to touch it. The background actually comes together as a triangle pointing to the figure. The viewer gets a sense of chaos when he or she looks at the painting because of the color contrast and the lines going in many different directions. If you look closely there is actually a city being engulfed by the chaos. Edvard Munch purposely chose complimentary colors to create disorder and confusion. He also added red in the background, which often represents blood, energy, danger, and violence. The figure’s intense face is full of fear and has eyes that are actually looking at something that is beyond the painting which makes the viewer feel as if the fear is coming from something that is right next to them. According to totallyhistory.com, “He has described himself in a book written in 1900 as nearly going insane, like his sister Laura who was committed to a mental institution during this time period as well. Personally he discussed being pushed to his limits, and going through a very dark moment in his life.” This site also goes on to say that the painting was actually referencing a real place in the world. His sister was kept in an institution in Ekeberg, Norway, which was the valley in the background of the painting. “Edvard Munch wrote in his diary that his inspiration for The Scream came from a memory of when he was walking at sunset with two friends, when he began to feel deeply tired. He stopped to rest, leaning against the