"Only a Mad Person Can Paint It"... The Mystery Behind Munch's 'The Scream' Unveiled

The representative work of Norwegian expressionist painter Edvard Munch (1863?1944), "The Scream".
[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Heo Midam] The mystery behind the scribble on Norwegian expressionist painter Edvard Munch's work 'The Scream' has been solved.

According to foreign media including the British BBC on the 22nd (local time), in the upper left corner of this work completed in 1893, the phrase "Can only have been painted by a madman" is written in small pencil letters.

Various speculations had been raised about the identity of this phrase, but on this day, the National Museum of Norway revealed that the phrase was written by Munch himself.

The museum curator Maibrit Gulen said, "There is no doubt that this writing is Munch's own." He added that he compared this phrase with various handwriting styles from Munch's diaries and letters while researching it.

In particular, the phrase was added after Munch painted this work in 1893, and Gulen said it is possible that it was written in 1895 when the work was first exhibited.

At that time, this work also sparked speculation about Munch's mental state. At a discussion Munch attended during his lifetime, a medical student questioned Munch's mental health and claimed, "His work proves that he is not healthy." It is believed that Munch, hurt by such criticism, may have added this phrase.

Meanwhile, it is reported that Munch's father and sister both suffered from depression, and Munch himself was diagnosed with neurasthenia.

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