As the world gains a greater awareness of mental health difficulties, the renowned painting 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch in 1893 can be considered as a pertinent portrayal of Anxiety.
 |
| The Scream image by Perlinator/ Pixabay |
The scream is frightening, unpleasant or disturbing to see. Its charm lies in the fact that it portrays a challenging mix of feelings. To claim that Munch's artwork represented his inner feelings would be a major understatement. He had a tough life and had lost practically all of his family.
When he was five years old, he lost his mother, and when he was thirteen, he lost one of his sisters. Both perished as a result of TB. His past was extremely painful, which most likely contributed to both his existential crisis and the decision to create The Scream. If we look carefully, the face is not actually screaming, rather it is protecting the ears from the screams in the surroundings.
But what compelled him to create such a terrifying face in such a scary backdrop? "One evening I was wandering along a trail, with the city on one side and the fjord below," Munch writes in his diary on January 22, 1892. "I was exhausted and sick. I came to a halt and gazed out over the fjord; the sun was sinking and the clouds were turning blood red. I sensed a scream moving through nature; it appeared to me that I heard the scream. I painted the clouds as if they were real blood. The colour shrieked. This became known as 'The Scream'. "
Rather than making art to truly depict the subjects in them, he chose to paint his feelings in an exaggerated style, rather than focusing on realism and perfectionism in his art. Munch claimed that he was painting amid a time of existential crisis.
 |
| image by lisakara/ Pixabay |
The painting has evolved into a modern art icon. It has become part of pop culture, with even emojis inspired by the scream. It has also inspired a few film posters, such as Kevin McCallister's expression in the 1990 film Home Alone. Today, the image can be found on mugs, fridge magnets, horror themed events, etc.
The concept has repeatedly arisen as an image of collective panic in the wake of a global pandemic in the context of the corona crisis. It is frequently combined with humour by caricature artists to make a statement or share an opinion. The image also emerges in political demonstrations against political upheaval and people's anxiety. Despite being unsettling, its colours never fail to send a dark message to its viewers, who are captivated as a result.
The Scream will always be associated with mental health and how humans confront shifting circumstances and modern life. This is a perennial representation of the inner turmoil that one experiences. Munch's silent yet screeching skeletal face perfectly captures the repercussion of one's shifting environment. While some interrupt it as simply a depiction of the artist’s inner battles, some view it as a message to the world that everyone is in this together. It can also be seen as a portrayal that raises awareness about how mental illness feels and raises empathy among the people.