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The Scream - History and Meaning

 

            One of the most appreciated and recognizable artwork in existence is The Scream by Edvard Munch. The title of the expressionist painting and prints is a part of a larger art collection series called The Frieze of Life. The Scream has four versions of the same composition with various media. It is an artwork that is still fascinating to a wide range of audience today. .
             Munch was renowned as a pioneer in the Expressionist movement in modern painting. His most well-known artwork was from the 1890s. His earlier darker paintings guaranteed his patrimony, while his later work is regularly magnetizing interest, and it appears to inspire present-day artists in specific. Munch depicted pure and raw emotions in this artwork. The Scream was a revolutionary change from the artwork traditions and norms of his current period; therefore he is credited with launching the expressionist movement that expanded through Germany (Prideaux, 2007). Most of Munch's artwork reflects themes of isolation, fear, sickness and death. These themes speak volumes for the reason for the popularity of The Scream, uniting all ages and socio-cultural backgrounds.
             The original German title given to the work by Munch is Der Schrei der Natur ("The Scream of Nature"). The Norwegian word skrik usually is translated as scream, but is cognate with the English shriek. Occasionally, the painting also has been called The Cry (Lubow, 2006). Between 1893 and 1910 Munch produced four versions of The Scream, in an assortment of media from crayon to tempera to pastel. Two of The Scream artworks are paintings, and the other two were created in pastels. The Munch Museum holds one of the two painted versions of The Scream and one pastel. The National Gallery of Norway holds the other painted version. A fourth version, in pastel, is owned by Norwegian businessman Petter Olsen. Munch later also created a black and white lithograph of the image.


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