What is El Grito (Art)

This work by the Norwegian painter Edvard Munch was painted in 1893 and is probably one of the most recognized images in the history of art. The painting was painted after a experience personal that the painter himself described in his personal diary as intense, strange and enigmatic. Munch made more than 100 different versions between engravings, drawings and lithographs.

"El Grito" is surprising due to its small size and the disturbing image it transmits to the observer. In this sense, it can be said that it is a symbol of the idea of ​​fear. In this work the following elements appear: a railing, the fjord, the church, the flaming clouds and a central character who puts his hands to his face while emitting a cry of pain and despair.

At first glance, the painting may convey the idea of ​​having been painted hastily and in a fit of madness. However, Munch spent more than three years thinking about his draft.

Interpretation of the work

The pictorial assessment of this work cannot be separated from the life of Munch, a man who lived in torment by the influence of the father figure and because in his adolescence he saw a large part of his beings die dear. Like the rest of your

production, "El Grito" addresses the feelings tragic that afflict the human being.

Some art historians claim that this work is inspired by the image of a Peruvian mummy that Munch had seen long ago in a Parisian museum.

Fun facts that will surprise you

- The place that appears in the work is totally real, since it is a viewpoint on the outskirts of the city of Oslo. It should be noted that very close to the viewpoint there was a madhouse and a slaughterhouse, from where it was possible to hear the cries of the sick or the slaughtered animals.

-Apart from his tragic past, it must be remembered that at the time he painted "The Scream" Munch was deeply in love with a married woman and her unrequited love for her led him to alcoholism.

- In the margin right top of the work presents a curious graffiti in which it is possible to read the following: this work could only have been painted by a madman. Stains of candle wax splatter appear on the bottom right, and there are some clues that Munch regretted the end result.

-Its initial title was another, "Desperation", but when Munch saw that people reacted negatively he decided to change it.

- After the first exposition in which it was unveiled, art critics considered it a work of no value artistic. Despite this, the people cast their vote in favor and soon "El Grito" became a icon 20th century.

Photos: Fotolia - Nanisimova / Mihály Samu

Themes in El Grito (Art)