Google ‘Edvard Munch The Scream’
Until recently I was in the “a 5 year-old could do that” camp on Munch. That was, until I went to the British Museum’s Love and Angst exhibition and saw his work in a totally new light.
The Scream is a great example of composition, it’s like a game of snakes and ladders. Every line or curve on the canvas, from the diagonal of the promenade to the swirling clouds takes you straight back to the skull-like image, covering his ears from the screaming sky (a common misconception is that he is the one screaming; he’s actually distanced himself from his group on the pier to try and avoid an anxiety attack).
It’s an incredible composition. Wherever you look your eyes keep getting guided back to the focal point of the painting. It’s like Munch is saying “nope don’t look there, back you go, have a look again at that man having the worst time of his life.”
Composition is a useful thing to look for in any painting. Your eyes will naturally go on a journey across the canvas, with markers of lines, shapes and objects that the artist has structured to get you to focus on where they want your attention.
The Scream was part of a group of works Munch called “The Frieze of Life”. They were some of his most evocative works, but he wasn’t precious about his art, famously saying “it does them good to fend for themselves” when they were damaged or rained on.
Munch knew each and every aspect of The Scream by heart; each element, from the mummified expression on the man, to the promenade, to the sky and the people in the background. Every detail had already featured in other works, or had come from inspirations in his earlier life. He chose The Scream to bring them all together. The simplicity of the painting (pastels or woodcut- there are several versions) helps to keep the message concise; it’s scratchy, dark and there’s not a trace of glamour or romance.
I’d like to see a 5-year old try that.