The Scream [antikvár]

Let's plainly state what may seem self-evident: The Scream now on view at The Museum of Modern Art is a unique work of art (fig. 1). It exists in contradistinction to the seemingly infinite number of images, produced during the course of more than a century, that replicate, modify, and caricature it. Edvard Munch drew this image with pastels on a sheet of paper mounted on card- board. It measures 32 by 23 inches. He made it in 1895, signing and dating it on the lower left. The artist housed the drawing in a gilded frame bearing a plaque with a text hand-lettered in red paint, signed "E. M." The resulting object is resolutely autonomous, employing both image and text to convey the full force of Munch's nightmarish vision. That being said, this Scream takes its place within a tightly knit family of related paintings, drawings, and prints made by Munch. Multiplicity is part of its DNA, for Munch continually revis- ited virtually all his motifs; returning to them was an integral part of his practice. Thus, long before the legions of imitations appeared, The Scream was both singular and multiple. This pastel drawing relates most obviously to the best-known version of The Scream, now in the National Museum in Oslo, Norway (fig. 2). Munch created that work in 1893, just before he turned thirty years old. From the moment this painting on cardboard was first exhibited in Decem- ber 1893, The Scream became a sensationalized focal point for both the admirers and detractors of this controversial artist.