"Could only have been painted by a madman" – the words are scrawled in pencil on the upper left corner of The Scream, Edvard Munch's masterpiece of a gaunt figure screaming in anguish against the backdrop of a red and orange sky.
For decades, art historians have debated who wrote it. The scrawl was initially seen as an act of vandalism when it was noticed by a Danish critic in 1904. This week, curators at Norway’s National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design have confirmed that it was written by the Norwegian artist himself.
Experts came to the conclusion with the help of infrared scans and handwriting analysis, examining the artist’s letters and diaries as reference. The painting had also been undergoing research and conservation as it is being prepared for a 2022 exhibition at the museum in Oslo.
"The writing is without a doubt Munch's own," Mai Britt Guleng, curator at the National Museum, said on Monday. "The handwriting itself, as well as events that happened in 1895, when Munch showed the painting in Norway for the first time, all point in the same direction," she said.
She stated that the artist may have written the line as a response to the criticism he received for his art, which was seen as provocative at the time. “He was accused of being mad,” Guleng told the BBC.
In one instance, a young medical student proclaimed that Munch’s work was proof that the artist was not mentally sound. The incident had a profound impact on Munch, who wrote about it repeatedly in his letters and diary entries.
At the same time, Munch was also acutely aware of the mental illness that ran in his family, something he feared he inherited. Guleng said the artist’s hidden message “shows his vulnerability”. The artist was hospitalised after a nervous breakdown in 1908.
Munch created four versions of The Scream, two in pastel and the other two in paint, plus a lithograph stone for prints.
In a diary entry, the artist recalled how the painting came to be: "I sensed a scream passing through nature … I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The colour shrieked. This became The Scream."
The National Museum, where the work, along with other pieces by Munch, are located, is currently under construction in Oslo. It will reopen in 2022.
_________________
Read more:
'Nebokeru': how the Japanese concept of being half-asleep inspired this new Dubai art exhibition
Artists explore the shifting face of Abu Dhabi's Mina Zayed in new Warehouse421 exhibition
_________________
more from Janine di Giovanni
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
More on Quran memorisation:
The five pillars of Islam
More from Neighbourhood Watch
Explainer: Tanween Design Programme
Non-profit arts studio Tashkeel launched this annual initiative with the intention of supporting budding designers in the UAE. This year, three talents were chosen from hundreds of applicants to be a part of the sixth creative development programme. These are architect Abdulla Al Mulla, interior designer Lana El Samman and graphic designer Yara Habib.
The trio have been guided by experts from the industry over the course of nine months, as they developed their own products that merge their unique styles with traditional elements of Emirati design. This includes laboratory sessions, experimental and collaborative practice, investigation of new business models and evaluation.
It is led by British contemporary design project specialist Helen Voce and mentor Kevin Badni, and offers participants access to experts from across the world, including the likes of UK designer Gareth Neal and multidisciplinary designer and entrepreneur, Sheikh Salem Al Qassimi.
The final pieces are being revealed in a worldwide limited-edition release on the first day of Downtown Designs at Dubai Design Week 2019. Tashkeel will be at stand E31 at the exhibition.
Lisa Ball-Lechgar, deputy director of Tashkeel, said: “The diversity and calibre of the applicants this year … is reflective of the dynamic change that the UAE art and design industry is witnessing, with young creators resolute in making their bold design ideas a reality.”
Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Naga
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EMeshal%20Al%20Jaser%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0%3C%2Fstrong%3EAdwa%20Bader%2C%20Yazeed%20Almajyul%2C%20Khalid%20Bin%20Shaddad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
AUSTRALIA SQUAD v SOUTH AFRICA
Aaron Finch (capt), Shaun Marsh, Travis Head, Chris Lynn, Glenn Maxwell, D'Arcy Short, Marcus Stoinis, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Mitchell Starc, Josh Hazlewood, Pat Cummins, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Adam Zampa
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
Brief scoreline:
Liverpool 2
Mane 51', Salah 53'
Chelsea 0
Man of the Match: Mohamed Salah (Liverpool)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In-demand jobs and monthly salaries
- Technology expert in robotics and automation: Dh20,000 to Dh40,000
- Energy engineer: Dh25,000 to Dh30,000
- Production engineer: Dh30,000 to Dh40,000
- Data-driven supply chain management professional: Dh30,000 to Dh50,000
- HR leader: Dh40,000 to Dh60,000
- Engineering leader: Dh30,000 to Dh55,000
- Project manager: Dh55,000 to Dh65,000
- Senior reservoir engineer: Dh40,000 to Dh55,000
- Senior drilling engineer: Dh38,000 to Dh46,000
- Senior process engineer: Dh28,000 to Dh38,000
- Senior maintenance engineer: Dh22,000 to Dh34,000
- Field engineer: Dh6,500 to Dh7,500
- Field supervisor: Dh9,000 to Dh12,000
- Field operator: Dh5,000 to Dh7,000
The five pillars of Islam
The five pillars of Islam
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Pharaoh's curse
British aristocrat Lord Carnarvon, who funded the expedition to find the Tutankhamun tomb, died in a Cairo hotel four months after the crypt was opened.
He had been in poor health for many years after a car crash, and a mosquito bite made worse by a shaving cut led to blood poisoning and pneumonia.
Reports at the time said Lord Carnarvon suffered from “pain as the inflammation affected the nasal passages and eyes”.
Decades later, scientists contended he had died of aspergillosis after inhaling spores of the fungus aspergillus in the tomb, which can lie dormant for months. The fact several others who entered were also found dead withiin a short time led to the myth of the curse.
