The painting by Edward Munch, a Norwegian expressionist artist, was sold at auction for 119 million 922 thousand 500 dollars on May 2, 2012. This is an absolute record of the cost of the canvas for all time.
Edward Munch painted a series of paintings between 1893 and 1910. Each of them depicts a stylized screaming figure of a man walking along a bridge against a flaming sky. The artist himself said that once, while walking with friends on the bridge, he turned around and looked at the sunset. And instantly he felt a strange feeling, as if around him screaming nature, glowing in the fire of sunset.
The original name of the painting is "The Scream of Nature." The canvas depicts a rather primitive figure of a man, an absolutely bald head, a widely rounded mouth, and eyes open in fear. And everything else is written in bright, eye-cutting colors. Smears, like waves, frame, move away from the face of the central character, creating a visible sound wave that sways the whole nature. And only the bridge remains direct and unshakable.
Some say that the picture was painted under the influence of drugs. Someone is sure that it was created at the time of the exacerbation of manic-depressive psychosis in the artist. However, it must be recognized that this canvas is a symbol of the beginning of a new century in art, with its loneliness, alienation, hopelessness, etc.
Three works are in museums and art galleries. They were attempted and two thefts. Undoubtedly, this fueled interest in canvases. The fourth painting, made by pastel, was kept by a private collector, whose name is not known. It was she who was put up for auction with a starting price of $ 80 million. The painting "Scream" was also acquired by an unknown person.
Works of art tend to grow in price with a geometric progression. The uniqueness of the canvas, its history of creation, the personality of the artist himself, as well as the number of attempts, which attracts attention, can affect this. No wonder its owners do not reveal their names. But who knows, it is likely that soon another canvas will attract the attention of the public and Edward Munch and his “Scream” will give up first place on the podium.
