3. The Scream by Edvard Munch
A little-known fact about the Scream is that it is not merely one painting, but a collection of four, all made in their own distinctive way; two with tempera, one with pastel, and another with crayon. It occurred to the artist when, according to the entries he made in his diary, he was walking and looking out over the neighboring fjord at the time of sunset, that the clouds assumed a color he took to be blood. As he states in his diary, “I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream”, inspiring him to create this now iconic masterpiece. It is also speculated to be about suicide, as Munch’s life at the time was perhaps at an all-time low; his love affair had dissolved, he anticipated developing a mental disorder that was prevalent in his family, and he was practically penniless. And now, let’s see the top two entries in our list of famous paintings with the stories behind them.
