Visual Culture Database Form ARTE 344 Fall 2020

Provider: Emmanuel Hernandez

VCDB #: 4

Big Idea/Subject:
Views of reality
Major Theme:
Anxiety, Dreams &
Nightmares,
Emotional life
Medium/ Presentation:
Oil, tempera, pastel and
crayon on 36”x29”
cardboard
Visual Components:
Color, direction, Form,
Movement, Texture,
Emphasis/Dominance
Category:
Fine Arts

Authorship: Edvard Munch 1893

Title: German title given by Munch to his work was Der Schrei der
Natur (The Scream of Nature), and the Norwegian title is
Skrik (Shriek)
Original Location: Oslo, Norway 1893
Description/Interpretation The Scream of nature is an abstract representation of the
: sudden wave of anxiety and dread felt by Munch during a
walk with his companions. The 36”x29” image was created
several times in the forms of paintings, pastel drawings, and
stone lithograph although these variations have subtle
differences amongst one another, the overall look and feel
remain the same. Munch uses hyper exaggerated brush
strokes that gives the objects in his painting a wavy feel and
sense of movement, the image appears to be of a man
(presumably Munch) on a bridge in Oslo, with the scenery of
a river, hills, and a bloody red and orange sky. In his diary he
wrote “… I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature”
(Munch, Jan 22, 1892).

Use in Teaching/Guiding If I were to use this image in class, I would ask the following.
Questions:
 Before I tell them the context of the image I would
ask, what emotions or feeling could this painting
represent?
  After I inform them of the context I would ask if the
texture of the brush strokes impacts the image, or
would the image give the same feel if the lines were
smoother?

 What are the features in this image that stand out the
most?
Big Idea:
Views of reality
Theme:
Portraying an Emotion in Scenery
Assignment:
 Students will select a scenery from their everyday
lives that has some meaning to them and create a
14”x17” portrait from acrylic or pastels.
 Like the portraits created in previous assignments,
the students will select an emotion to use as the
theme for their portraits
 Unlike previous assignments students are required to
create a composition that incorporates foreground,
midground, and background.
 Students are not limited to accuracy, the focus of this
assignment is to emphasis an emotion throughout
the entirety of the composition, objects can be hyper
exaggerated or under exaggerated.
Helpful tips:
Students should take into consideration what
brushstrokes could reflect their chosen emotion.
Color theory could prove to be very helpful, in this
assignment.
Assessment:
Given a sheet of 14”x17” mixed media paper Students will
effectively create a portrait with foreground, midground, and
background with their choice of acrylic paint or pastels.
Presented with artist statement.
Closing questions:
 What was the emotion you were trying to display?
 Why did you choose this scenery, what is its
significance?
 What was the most challenging part of this
assignment?
 What was the overall decision that made you pick
your chosen medium over the other?
Source: National Gallery and Munch Museum, Oslo, Norway