Mrs. Keyfitz's Art Blog

Art Inspiration, Discussion & Appreciation




The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893) What we learned- One theory advanced to account for the reddish sky in the background is that Munch had observed a powerful volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883: the ash that was ejected from the volcano left the sky tinted red in much of eastern United States and most of Europe and Asia from the end of November 1883 to mid February 1884. 3rd graders observed the vanishing point in this painting by reading the bridge railings as octagonals/ leading lines. In a page in his diary headed Nice 22.01.1892, Munch described his inspiration for the image thus: “I was walking along a path with two friends — the sun was setting — suddenly the sky turned blood red — I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence — there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city — my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety — and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.” Discussion Questions: How can nature “scream?” How did Munch use color and line to create the feeling of the work? What is the purpose of distorting the main figure (esp. his face) in this painting?

The Scream by Edvard Munch (1893)

What we learned-

  • One theory advanced to account for the reddish sky in the background is that Munch had observed a powerful volcanic eruption of Krakatoa in 1883: the ash that was ejected from the volcano left the sky tinted red in much of eastern United States and most of Europe and Asia from the end of November 1883 to mid February 1884.
  • 3rd graders observed the vanishing point in this painting by reading the bridge railings as octagonals/ leading lines.
  • In a page in his diary headed Nice 22.01.1892, Munch described his inspiration for the image thus: “I was walking along a path with two friends — the sun was setting — suddenly the sky turned blood red — I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence — there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city — my friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety — and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.”

Discussion Questions:

  1. How can nature “scream?”
  2. How did Munch use color and line to create the feeling of the work?
  3. What is the purpose of distorting the main figure (esp. his face) in this painting?

    Notes