Comparison Of Edvard Munch And The Scream

The two works of art that I chose are from the Expressionism and Romanticism period. The Scream by Edvard Munch, is from the Expressionism period, painted in 1893. Its medium is oil, tempera, and pastel on cardboard. With dimensions of 3′ 0″ x 2′ 5″, it is currently located at the National Gallery and Munch Museum. Oslo, Norway. Il Bacio (The Kiss) by Francesco Hayez, is from the Romanticism period, painted in 1859. Its medium is oil on canvas. With dimensions of 110 cm × 88 cm (43 in × 35 in), it is located in the Pinacoteca di Brera. Milan, Italy.

The Expressionism period, is an artistic style in which the artist seeks to represent not objective reality but rather the subjective emotions and responses that objects and events arouse within

a person. The artist accomplishes this aim through distortion, exaggeration, primitivism, and fantasy and through the vivid, jarring, violent, or dynamic application of formal elements. The Romanticism period, was art that focused on teaching people to care about each other. Romantic artists were also concerned with promoting individual liberty, ending slavery, and supporting democratic and independence movements.

The two works of art, The Scream and Il Bacio (The Kiss) should be compared because they are from different style periods, and hey depict different emotion. Second to Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa, Edvard Munch’s The Scream may be the most iconic human figure in the history of Western art. Il Bacio (The Kiss), represents love between two people. What I hope that readers gain through the comparison, is that how two different works of art from different style periods, can show emotion and make you feel the emotion that the painting depicts. When you see the work of arts, you will think and feel it. Not just think “oh this is a sad or happy painting.” But stop and think about what the artist wanted to express through his/her painting.

The Scream relates to the Expressionist style period movement and historical context because it is a style of art in which the artist tries to express feelings about something. In Expressionism, the artist is interested about having their painting show a type of feeling. The Scream elicits emotion of the encounter and exhibits a general anxiety toward the concrete world. You can see in the painting the feeling and emotion. Munch regarded it as a "soul painting" because it expressed what laid in someone's soul. The Scream, expresses the visual and thematic features of Expressionist style period by providing us with a psychological blueprint for Expressionist Art. Distorted shapes and extra colors heighten a sense of anxiety and alienation.

Il Bacio (The Kiss) by Francesco Hayez relates to the Romanticism style period movement and historical context because Romanticism is a style of art that was characterized by its emphasis on emotion and individualism.

Romantic painters like to express emotional and personal response in their paintings. Il Bacio (The Kiss) shows a couple embracing in a kiss. The man is supporting the woman and passionately kissing her. The painting is the representation of a passionate kiss, which puts itself in accordance with the principles of Romanticism, it emphasizes deep feelings. Il Bacio makes us dream on. It makes us embrace and hold on to someone meaningful when they enter our lives, and it reminds us that the force of love is a bigger feeling than anything

else.

The visual similarities between The Scream and Il Bacio (The Kiss) is that both artists expressed some kind of emotion through their paintings. They both showed emotion and feelings. It is a type of emotion that captures you and makes you think and analyze the work of the art. It makes you feel the emotion, like if it were you in that painting. When the audience looks at both paintings they can feel the emotion that it portrays, which is love and fear. Two strong emotions that both painters did a fantastic job of portraying it in their paintings. Both paintings are meant to show emotion and feelings.

The visual differences between The Scream and Il Bacio (The Kiss) is that they both portray different emotion and both have different moods.

The Scream, shows fear, anguish, and confusion. The mood is dark which shows the fear and sadness that the painting reflects. It makes you feel sad, and it makes you think about why the figure is in such agony. Munch manipulates line, color, light, shadow and form to create the effects of dread, anguish and other displeasing emotions that the audience may feel. A passage in Munch’s diary states according to Dr. Noelle Paulson that, “he was walking along the road with two friends—the sun went down—he felt a gust of melancholy—suddenly the sky turned a bloody red. He stopped, leaned against the railing, tired to death—as the flaming skies hung like blood and sword over the blue-black fjord and the city—his friends went on—and he stood there trembling with anxiety—and felt a vast infinite scream through nature.” [1]. Il Bacio (The Kiss) shows love, passion and romance. It makes you feel content and warmth. You can see both lovers kissing passionately and the girl leans backwards, while the man bends his left leg so as to support her, simultaneously placing a foot on the step next to him as he were in a hurry. The couple, though at the center of the painting, are not recognizable, as Hayez wanted the action of the kissing to be at the center of the composition. In the left part of the canvas shadowy forms lurk in the corner to give an

impression of conspiracy and danger. [2].

The Humanities have a big impact on my life. It has taught me many things. The Humanities have taught me about, art, different cultures, music, architecture, philosophy, and literature. I now feel more confident talking about it, and going to museums and art galleries and having a conversation without feeling wary. It has made me appreciate, understand and analyze art.

In conclusion, the two works of art that I chose were The Scream by Edvard Munch, from the Expressionism period and Il Bacio (The Kiss) by Francesco Hayez, from the Romanticism period. Even though they are from different style periods, they share a common theme of emotion. Both artists did a fantastic job of portraying the emotion and capturing the audience’s attention. It makes you analyze, feel and think about the painting. Even though both paintings share the common theme of emotion, it also has a difference. The paintings show different moods and different types of emotion. While The Scream is darker, it shows the emotion of anxiety and fear. While Il Bacio (The Kiss) is happier, it shows the emotion of love. Both artist did a fantastic job in expressing the emotion in their paintings.