On day seven of Culture Tourist Art Blogmas, we’re hosting one of the most well-known paintings of all time: The Scream, painted by Edvard Munch.
Art Blogmas 2021
Edvard Munch is one of the most famous Expressionist artists. Born in Norway, he made this iconic painting in 1893.
⤷ Read more: 15 Best museums in Europe you have to visit this year
Edvard Munch: The Scream
⤷ Where is it? National Gallery and Munch Museum, Oslo
Same as with Van Gogh’s Sunflowers, you could see in day two of Art Blogmas, Munch created several versions of this painting. Two of them are paintings (oil and tempera), two made with pastels and one a lithography.
In his diary, Edvard Munch described this painting as the scream of nature:
One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord – the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through the nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The colour shrienked. This became The Scream.
Both the colours and the person screaming probably symbolise the anxiety of modern society. The first painted version has an inscription saying: ‘Could only have been painted by a madman’.
The painting became so iconic in popular culture that it even got its emoji. Yes, this one 😱. Pop-art painter Andy Warhol made a series of works inspired by Munch, among which he also created one influenced by The Scream. A poster for the Home Alone movie and Kevin McCallister’s facial expression was also influenced by this painting. The mask in the horror movies the Scream was inspired by Munch artwork, as well.
⤷ Fun fact: Both painted versions of these paintings were stolen. But, luckily, they were recovered and could still be seen at the museums in which they’re exhibited. One of the pastel versions is an artwork with the fourth-highest price ever paid for one at the public auction.
If you don’t want to miss other paintings I will share with you in this year’s Art Blogmas, be sure to check in here tomorrow at 7:30 am. Or, follow along on the Culture Tourist Facebook page and Instagram profile.