Rowland 1

Dan Rowland

Professor Joslin

Art Appreciation

December 4, 2021

Critique Paper: The Scream, by Edvard Munch

There are several striking and instantly-recognizable works that stand out in the world of

art. For instance, Mona Lisa, The Last Supper, and The Starry Night are among the most famous

artworks of all time. Another massively famous, distinctive, and extraordinary work of art has

persisted across time, Munch’s The Scream. Painted in 1893, this work is tempera and casein on

cardboard. An intense and emotive painting, The Scream is often considered a prime example of

early expressionism, a style of art that emphasizes colorful distortions of reality that focus on the

artist’s innermost emotions and feelings. Furthermore, expressionism often uses non naturalistic

and intense colors, free brushwork with liberal use of paint, and a textured style (Tate).

The artist, Edvard Munch, was born in Norway in 1863. As a child, Munch traveled

often, lived in relative poverty, and young Edvard’s illnesses and frailty kept him out of school

for long periods. As a result, Munch took up drawing and watercolor painting to help pass the

time (Edvard Munch Biography, Life & Quotes). Art continued to be the focus of Munch’s life as

he entered early adulthood, where he followed a bohemian lifestyle in Oslo before moving to

Paris to study art formally. In his early works, Munch set a precedent with themes of loss and

death, as his life was profoundly impacted by the death of his sister, Sophie, and father,

Christian. This somber tone is found in The Sick Child, and Night in St. Cloud (Edvard Munch

Biography, Life & Quotes). In 1893, Munch - then a controversial but established artist-

exhibited his famous, Frieze of Life - A Poem about Life, Love, and Death, for which he painted
 Rowland 2

some of his most impactful and memorable pieces. Such works included Ashes, Vampire, and of

course, The Scream. After the excesses of his wild lifestyle had taken their toll, Munch suffered a

nervous breakdown in 1908 and was admitted to a hospital in Denmark. After being released,

Munch returned to Norway, where he lived a quieter life and continued painting. He died in 1944

(Edvard Munch Biography, Life & Quotes).

The story behind The Scream comes directly from Munch’s own life experience. One

day, while walking near a fjord with his friends in his native Norway, Munch wrote, “the sun

went down—I felt a gust of melancholy—suddenly the sky turned a bloody red. I stopped,

leaned against the railing, tired to death—as the flaming skies hung like blood and sword over

the blue-black fjord and the city—My friends went on—I stood there trembling with anxiety—

and I felt a vast infinite scream [tear] through nature” (Paulson). This “infinite scream through

nature” appears to be felt by the figure in The Scream, and in this moment of terror, pain, and

anguish, the figure is alone, helpless, and the figures behind seem to feel distant.

As a painting on cardboard, The Scream is two-dimensional. At 36” by 29”, it is a

medium-sized piece, not overly large or small. It is composed with egg tempera and casein, a

difficult and fast-drying medium (Sachant et al. 37). Immediately, it is an evocative and striking

work of art. Rather than being highly representational, The Scream is an abstract piece that

makes abundant use of fantastical and almost surrealist imagery. In simple terms, stripping the

painting down to its subject matter, this artwork depicts a person, wide-eyed and screaming with

their head in their hands. A bridge or walkway of sorts extends into the background to the left,

where what appear to be two other figures stand, or walk. The painting feels like some sort of

dream, with an overall sense of warping and swirling, and strange imagery.
 Rowland 3

Immediately, the colors that Munch utilizes are eye-catching. The sky is alight with

almost demonic fiery reds, yellows, and oranges, giving off a sense of eerie uneasiness and

dread. Cracks of blue-green appear in the sky, maybe as a bit of respite from the flames. The

androgynous, ghostly figure appears in a sickly yellow-white, further adding to the anxiety and

unease of the piece. These predominantly warm colors contrast with the water and hills, which

are deep blue, green, purple, and gray. The walkway and railing are brown and gray, with a sort

of reflected quality of light from the blood red sunset. The Scream makes use of complementary

colors- opposites on the color wheel (Flye). These complementary dynamics are found in the

orange in the sky and the blue in the water, as well as the green of the water/land and the red of

the sky. In The Scream, the color choices help to create an emotional, dramatic, and anxiety-

filled scene.

This painting also makes considerable use of line and shape. Strong, diagonal lines form

the walkway and railway, leading the viewer’s eyes across the painting, from the tormented

figure to the mysterious people standing in the back. In contrast, the sky, and natural

surroundings -the water, the hills- are wavy, curvy, are more “organic” than the straightness of

the manmade pathway. The curving lines of the sky seem to almost bring it to life, along with the

bright coloration. Moreover, the forcefulness and expressiveness of the brushstrokes used for the

sky reflects the inner anguish that Munch feels and is trying to capture with this work. The

shapes of the manmade walkway, along with the figures in the back, appear unyielding and

geometric when compared with the distorted, organic qualities of the anguished figure. This

strange and somewhat disturbing person is placed front and center of The Scream, demanding the

viewer’s attention and making up the painting’s focal point- “area(s) of interest the viewer’s eyes

skip to” (Flye). The line and shape used in the sky, water, and walkway throughout this piece
 Rowland 4

help direct the viewer’s attention and add to the surreal and eerie distortion that gives this

painting its signature anxious feeling. Lastly, The Scream utilizes repetition and rhythm.

Repetition and rhythm- the repeated use of a certain element, varied in the case of rhythm- are

found in the curving, warped swirls of the sky, the water, and the land (Lamp). It is even

somewhat echoed in the figure itself, with the tormented warping of its body.

In conclusion, Edvard Munch’s The Scream is a profound and striking portrayal of pain,

anxiety, and terror. Based on a profound and anxiety-inducing life experience, The Scream

represents Munch’s inner turmoil and melancholy. A tempera and casein painting on cardboard,

this work makes significant use of colors and contrast in the sky, water, land, figure, and

walkway to create the mood of anxiety and dread that defines this piece. Through line and shape,

the viewer’s experience of the painting is directed from sky, water, and railway back to the

grotesque figure, who serves as the focal point of this artwork. Furthermore, the curving, warped

lines found in the sky, water, and land form a distinct rhythm that repeats throughout the work.

Finally, The Scream represents the feeling of dread and terror that can come from feeling truly

alone -a horrible realization that you can’t seem to reach out and find help, even if others are

around. The figures in the back appear almost menacing in this light, furthering the isolation and

anxiety of the upset figure in the front. Perhaps it’s reaching, but the cracks of blue light in the

sky seem to give me sign of hope in this otherwise gloomy scene- fleeting perhaps, but still

there.
 Rowland 5

Works Cited

“Edvard Munch Biography, Life & Quotes.” The Art Story,

https://www.theartstory.org/artist/munch-edvard/life-and-legacy/.

Flye, Rob. Color, 2011, http://flyeschool.com/content/color.

Flye, Rob. “Emphasis, Dominance, and Focal Point.” Flyeschool, 2011,

http://flyeschool.com/content/emphasis-dominance-and-focal-point.

Lamp, Lucy. “Design in Art: Repetition, Pattern and Rhythm.” Sophia,

https://app.sophia.org/tutorials/design-in-art-repetition-pattern-and-rhythm.

Paulson, Noelle. “Munch, The Scream.” Khan Academy, Khan Academy,

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/

modernity-ap/a/munch-the-scream.

Sachant, Pamela J., et al. Introduction to Art: Design, Context, and Meaning. University of North

Georgia Press, 2016.

Tate. “Expressionism.” Tate, Tate, 2021, https://www.tate.org.uk/art/art-terms/e/expressionism.