THE SCREAM

Norwegian artist Edvard Munch painted The Scream, one of the most iconic images in art.  It symbolizes the anxiety of the human condition.   

The Scream - 1893

When we look at a painting, we wonder about the person who held the paintbrush, who pondered the colors in which to dip the paintbrush.  What was his mood?  Where was he when he painted it?  

The central figure, with his head held in his hands, wears an agonizing expression against a blood-red sky.  The sky mirrors the inner turmoil of the figure.  Notice the two smaller figures in the background who are seemingly unaffected, highlighting the isolation of the central figure's  intense anxiety and dread.  

The chaotic sky and flowing river provide a backdrop that mimics daily life.  As we cross the bridge of life we do so through chaos, without understanding why we are here and what happens to us when we get to the other end of the bridge.  Who among us hasn't experienced the emotional crises that make us want to scream.

Painted in 1893, The Scream captivates modern-day human anxiety and misery.   The original painting is located in the Edvard Munch Room at the National Museum in Oslo, Norway.   In 2012, a New York-based Dartmouth and Harvard graduate bought the original painting for $120 million.