"The Scream” by Edvard Munch

Art Analysis

 “The Scream,” by Edvard Munch, depicts a scene with a human- like figure on a bride screaming beside a body of water. There are warm and cool colors to distinguish the sky from the lake in the background. Fluid and smudged lines make up the picture as a whole. Walking in the opposite direction of the “screamer”, the men fade into the background. The sky is subdued orange and red strokes, which show movement in the background. Also, different shades of blue make up the lake, in which two boats are sitting in the middle of it. The bridge that the man is standing on in the foreground has umber and sienna strokes.  The man in the foreground, the faceless figure, stands out in the picture as a focal point.

On the top third of the picture, there are vibrant, warm colors that brighten up the sky, giving it an appearance of a sunset. These warm colors contrast with the cool blue colors of the lake, reflecting the sky that is shining on it. The lines are fluid and smudged throughout the picture, creating a mysterious feel. The “screamer” in the foreground is wavy and unrealistic. Being that there is minimal detail, it is as though there is something missing from the painting.

The picture’s focal point, the “screamer” in the front, symbolizes life, an “emotional journey.” Life is full of ups and downs, good times and bad times, and the facial expression symbolizes one of the bad times. The people walking towards the background, unaware of the screamer, depict the mystery of life. The water symbolizes life’s purities, and goodness. Red represents anger and love, and the fire red sky depicts that. With the sky being red, love and anger are both captured in this artwork. Overall, the painting tells the story of life, and the many emotions.

 
Art Descriptive Paragraph

            In “The Scream,” by Edvard Munch, it depicts a scene with a human- like figure screaming. There are warm and cool colors to distinguish the sky from the lake in the background. There are fluid and smudged lines that makeup the picture as a whole. The bridge that the man is standing on in the foreground has umber and sienna strokes. Walking in the opposite direction, the men in the background move into the background. The sky is a subdued orange and red stroke, which shows movement in the background. In the background, there are different shades of blue, which make up the lake, with two boats sitting in the middle of it. As a whole, the picture has very little detail. The man in the foreground, the faceless figure, stands out in the picture as a focal point.

           

Art Annotations

Annotation of “The Scream” by Edvard Munch

How is the piece composed?

Composition Notes:

Line Notes:

·        There are fluid lines that make up the picture.

·        The smudged lines make up the picture.

·        The rising lines of the bridge lead from the foreground to the background.

Tone Notes:

·        There are chiaroscuro lines of different shades that make up the bridge and background.

·        There is a high tonal scale of the blue, brown and orange colors

·        There are parts of that water that are deep toned and some that are light

Form:

·        The lake in the background are elegant and loose

·        The lines making up the picture are convoluted

·        The smooth texture gives it a softer look

Color:

·        There are umber and sienna colors on the bridge

·        There is a viridian on the edge of the lake

·        The sky has bright and subdued shapes of orange