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Anxiety
Paintings > The Scream
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Dragonfly wrote
on June 7, 2005:
Hidden Meanings
In college I studied Munch quite extensively, and am of the mindset that Munch's
anxiety, as portrayed in "The Scream", was in large part due to Munch's
agoraphobia. The main figure is in a vast expanse of open space, and feels overwhelmed.
Sometimes when searching for hidden meanings one must look very closely at the
obvious. I am sure Munch would have had an extremely hard time with some of the
locales I frequent, as there are many vast open areas in nature that I enjoy.
Munch would have difficulties in the borderland between exhibiting his work,
and being a public figure, while in his anxiety ridden mind he tended towards
reclusivity. A nice enclosed space, a lodge perhaps, would have suited him better,
cozy by the fire, instead of out in the vast expanse of sky and ground.
Marco
Lopes wrote
on Feb 7, 2004:
Pictures
of Bridge
I´m studying this picture at school and I would love to get some real pictures
from the bridge that Munch painted so many times. The problem is that I don´t
know where to look for them. Can anybody help me?
My email is 306maxi@portugalmail.pt
I will apreciate any kind of information. Thanks.
Onon wrote on
Jan 14, 2004:
The
Human emotion
At my first year in our art course, I drew a lady who had her eyes closed with
a face that showed fear, yet very calm. Then I used powerful and expressive colors
such as red, dark blue and orange. It was exactly what I felt. I was amazed at
the similarity when my art teacher pointed out this marvelous painting of Munch's.
I immediately felt close to the artist in a way I cannot express. I never knew
about this painting nor did I know of the artist. Yet I somehow painted something
with the idea that was too similar to this one. I love him! He became my favorite
artist straight away. This is one of the paintings where even the people who
don't understand paintings can actually relate to.
Harry wrote on
Mar 12, 2002:
I'm studying the scream for my A level art class and I think that the
similarity between Munch's artistic vision materialized through his
painting and Francis Bacon's vision in his paintings is quite incredible.
Munch expresses an indefinable emotion in such an expressive way.
Enis
Dogan wrote on Mar 4, 2002:
The
Mind
What I see in this picture is like a reaction to life. I'll hang it
on my wall and I'll put these words under it: "...the mind ... the mind
is a terrible thing."
Vivaswan Verawudh
wrote on Mar 1, 2002:
This is the only picture that makes me understand the definition of
"art"... without having to know the conventional meaning of it. I never
feel this close to a piece of art, so close that I feel like I'm the
person in the picture. It's gender-free, with it's free form, pure expressive
figure, it could be anyone...
Cheng
Cheng wrote on Feb 6, 2002:
Amazing
I'm doing my art coursework based on the theme "emotions" so my art
teacher told me to research this Edward Munch painting today. My art
examination piece is also someone screaming: but it's a teenage girl,
and she's screaming for freedom. Now I'm gonna include Munch into my
documentations. All you peoples' criticisms are really useful, so thanks
a million to all who criticized!
Teen
Spirit wrote on Jan 11, 2002:
Perceptions
It's interesting how everyone has a different perception and interpretation
of this piece of artwork. Many believe the person in the image is projecting
a silent scream that cannot be heard; others can recognize that the
action of the person's ears being covered suggests that it's not the
person who is screaming but, as mentioned, the scream comes from nature's
anxieties of life which distressingly is heard by the one person, while
the others are deafened and not aware of it. It would probably create
a little anxiety to you, the audience, looking at this artwork... what's
amazing about it is the fact that it creates such multiple meanings,
yet conveys a universal emotion that is recognized and experienced by
all.
Kate wrote on
Jan 7, 2002:
From a young age I automatically dismissed The Scream because it represented
to me an over-used method of advertising cheap products and totally
melodramatic and unrealistic ideas. It is such a shame that I, a teenager,
have grown up thinking this about such an inspiring piece. The Scream
is clearly much deeper than the majority could know, what a shame to
exploit it in this way.
Aubrey wrote on
Dec 14, 2001:
This picture, since the first day I saw it, has been my favorite. I
don't believe that the man himself is screaming. It's his inner self,
the person he's keeping locked away inside, coming out to show the torment
and frustration life can bring onto people. We all know this feeling,
and we all hold it inside of ourselves.
Martin Koldijk
wrote on Nov 23, 2001:
ART
2850a with David Coman at the University of Lethbridge
I was sitting in our computer lab at the university of Lethbridge (http://home.uleth.ca)
seeking inspiration for a paper and then it came to me, my anxiety,
defined by The Scream... I feel that The Scream is cathartic and helps
struggling, starving students all over the world, write art papers.
Thanks Edvard!
Alexandra T wrote
on Nov 14, 2001:
He
Has Done What We All Feel
Edvard Munch's painting of this is a direct symbolism of what myself
and so many other people feel like at various times in our lives. To
me this resembles my inner reaction when everything just gets to me
- frustration, annoyance, anger - it really is an "inner scream."
Bill
Price wrote on Oct 1, 2001:
This
painting holds special meaning for me because it awoke my awareness
of art. Seeing it hanging on the wall every day in Algebra when I was
in 7th grade gave me something to think about whenever we weren't busy
working. I saw how a painting as unrealistic as this could express such
a rush of pure emotion- as is the goal of expressionism. In conclusion,
this painting is so brilliantly executed that even 67 years after Munch's
death, it's still infamous.
Now I had better go back to researching his life before my teacher sees
me typing this...
Medusa
wrote on Sep 18, 2001:
Do you not realize... that the man in the picture, Munch, is not screaming?
He is feeling and listening to the scream that is has pierced nature
with his soul. Look at the contrast between his body shape and the shape
of his friends who have "walked on". Munch's body has become distorted
along with the flow of the river and the skies. This is a painting about
madness and despair and the collapse of one's universe and sanity. Indeed,
this is a painting that could only be produced by someone who knew madness
and was mad himself. I love it. (Please read the commentary
by Munch on this painting.)
Conor Reilly wrote
on Aug 26, 2001:
"Do
Androids Dream of Electric Sheep," by Philip K. Dick
"At an
oil painting Phil Resch halted, gazed intently. The painting showed
a hairless, oppressed creature with a head like an inverted pear, its
hands clapped in horror to its ears, its mouth open in a vast, soundless
scream. Twisted ripples of the creature's torment, echoes of its cry,
flooded out into the air surrounding it; the man or woman, whichever
it was, had been contained by its own howl. It had covered its ears
against its own sound. The creature stood on a bridge and no one else
was present; the creature screamed in isolation. Cut off by-or despite-its
outcry."
Sara
De Cesare wrote on Aug 23, 2001:
My
first feeling
The first
time I saw "the Scream" I was just 12 years old. I was studying history
of art at school. It was the first real time that a picture struck me,
and from then on it is still my favorite picture. Even if I don't share
the feeling that the picture gives.
Hayley
wrote on Jul 12, 2001:
This
picture is great!!!!
Hi my
name is Hayley and I'm 13. I've never really been a good artist and
I especially have trouble with self portraits. Last year I told myself
I wasn't good enough and nearly gave up. This was until I saw Edvard's
paintings. This one is my favourite. It has so much meaning about how
his life was. I read a biography on him and some of the things he went
through in life were so awful and I think he had the right to express
the emotion in his life. I would like to thank him for inspiring me
to keep going with my art work and may his artwork never be forgotten.
Robert wrote on
Jul 1, 2001:
The
other two
What
strikes me about this painting is the normality of everything else besides
the man screaming. It's a sort of inner scream we all feel sometimes
when an agony that we must keep silent about comes to a head. Unless
we are insane, we keep the resulting desire to scream in despair and
fear inside. We are torn apart inside while outside everything goes
on as normal. This painting captures both the inner scream and the normality
around us as nothing I have seen before.
Hannah
Stuttard wrote on Apr 22, 2001:
"I
was out walking with two friends - the sun began to set - suddenly the
sky turned blood-red - I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on a
fence - there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord
and the city - my friends walked on, and there I still stood, trembling
with fear - and I sensed an endless scream passing through nature."
-
Here the painter of The Scream, Edvard Munch, provides us with the insight
into the inspiration for one of his most prolific works, in a poetic
and chilling anecdote. The work expresses the loneliness and awful despair
felt by Munch, on realization of the might of the natural world in comparison
to a single human being. He is tortured by man's insignificance and
haunted by his fettered state of mind. Undulating strokes of paint echo
the hollow mouth of the figure, creating an ominous shadow of the cove
and the hellish streaks of sky beckoning - from above. The colours are
menacing and evocative, creating an air of expectancy in the background;
the brewing of the climax that is the scream in the foreground. The
brush strokes for the basis of the painting are sweeping and cloying,
trapping the man within the scene. In contrast a sharp diagonal of the
bridge railing cuts across so the emotion is expressed darting towards
and through the man, then past out of painting again: the - endless
scream - Munch describes. Its importance to the composition is enhanced
by its fiery colour; the same shade as parts of the sky.
Mike wrote on
Apr 14, 2001:
The piece's
name is the perfect conveyer of the emotion that Munch seems to want
to relay to its viewers. It is one of sheer panic and despair. Look
at the strong diagonal of the bridge jutting out towards the viewer.
Look at the rapid swirling motion of the landscape, and the wild colors
Munch has used. There is so much action going on in this painting, and
then amongst all the chaos, standing in the center of the piece is our
subject; simply depicted, no extreme facial features, standing, screaming....
Munch has created a masterpiece.
Brian
Poulsen wrote on Apr 4, 2001:
It
really touched me
I'm writing
an essay on munch and I'm trying to define this picture and I have recently
been at a museum in Denmark where this picture was. All I want to say
is that it really touched me and I now see art in a whole new way.
Alan
wrote on Mar 20, 2001:
Good
I'm just
a kid, so I know my opinion doesn't matter, but I think this is an awesome
painting.
Greg wrote on
Feb 23, 2001:
MTV
When
I showed this picture to my Indian acquaintance she burst out: "That
is the picture from MTV!" And I replied: "Well, MTV did not make the
picture!"
Art has certainly gotten new ways of reaching youths!
Monica wrote on
Feb 16, 2001:
Despite all the
motion in this painting,there is a stillness about it that haunts me.
It is my worst nightmare come true: you scream and scream but no one
can hear you.
Jill wrote on
Jan 19, 2001:
This is my favourite
painting in the whole wide world, when I look at it I can see pain and
terror in the his face, like the world is about to explode. I can see
true emotion used here, every possible feeling that one may have is
screaming out of this painting.
Its like a magnificent ray of fireworks, the most powerful colours are
used to portray rays of emotion that actually reach out and call to
you. I could stare at this painting for hours and never truly understand
it, its strength is moving.
Alessia wrote
on Jan 12, 2001:
This is my favourite
painting cause Munch was able to express the despair and the pain of
man's life. I think that everybody can identify themselves with this
man who screams in almost one of the moments of life. Sorry for my bad
english: I'm italian!!
Nina Harp wrote
on Jan 6, 2001:
The Scream
When he painted this I remember him describing the scene: he was walking
with two other friends (the 2 regular humans in this painting) and this
was when he was going through paranoia. Suddenly he heard this scream
from nature and he had to stop and almost collapsed of the fright it
instilled in him. Some think since this was painted in France that he
might have gone to their art museum and saw the remains of a mummy that
looked like this figure.
Rosanne Naylor
wrote on Nov 4, 2000:
Scream!
This picture to me drips pure emotion. Munch's own personal despair
went into this painting. The loneliness of the figure and the violent
swirling colours seem to jump off the painting in a dramatic, aggressive
attack.
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Credits
Picture:
Edvard Munch: The Frieze of
Life.
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