Listening to Melvyn Bragg today on BBC Radio 4, I was surprised to learn the story behind Edvard Munch’s The Scream. According to some learned academics knowledgeable on the topic (David Jackson, Dorothy Rowe and Alastair Wright), the primary character in the painting is not ‘the screamer’ but rather, the primary character is protecting himself from the ‘enormous, infinite scream of nature’.
So, and be honest here, who knew that?
All I know is one of my best friends used to have this hanging on the wall behind his bed back when he was a single, young lad.
I often wondered what the young ladies thought….
Just looked up the Wikipedia write-up on The Scream:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Scream
Here’s what the artist wrote of the inspiration for the painting:
“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.”
Wow! What concerns me about this story is how Munch’s friends continued on their walk as he was freaking out in some sort of mental delusion.
Thank you CMD, for bringing this knowledge to me! I can honestly say that I didn’t know that before.
I certainly thought the primary character was screaming, so I too appreciate the enlightenment.
Talk about a valuable scream!
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-17926519