Masterpiece: The Scream, 1893 by Edvard Munch Keywords: Expressionism, Color Grade: 5th Grade Month: September/October Lesson: “Encaustic” Moment TIME: This project is done in two parts so please allow two 45 minute sessions. Meet the Artist: Munch was born in Norway in 1863. He is considered one of his country’s greatest artists and was multi-talented working as a painter, lithographer, etcher and wood engraver. Munch played a vital role in the development of the Expressionism art movement. His works were considered “objectionable” and provoked outrage during the late 1800’s. Despite this fact, he was a major influence on other artists and he later gained fame and respect of art critics. His art is reflective of his own unhappy life as well as the basic fears and anxieties of mankind. Munch stated, “We want more than a mere photograph of nature. We do not want to paint pretty pictures to be hung on drawing room walls. We want to create art that arrests’ and engages. An art created of one’s innermost heart.” Munch died in 1944, shortly after his 80th birthday. Fortunately, he willed over 20,000 works of art to the city of Oslo (capital of Norway) which built a museum in his honor. KEY WORDS – Expressionism – a style of art in which the artist tries to express certain feelings about something. The artist is more concerned about having their painting express a feeling than in making the painting look exactly like what they are painting. Color – discuss the use of color to show emotion. It will not be realistic, but are based upon the feelings of the artist. Further Discussion: *Background information of the painting: usually used as background information if time permits or if you have an extra inquisitive class. Otherwise, leave out. It is interesting information though. “The Scream”, also known as “The Cry” is often described as the first expressionistic painting, and is the most extreme example of Munch’s “soul paintings.” It is his most familiar painting. The scene, and in particular the foreground figure are grotesquely distorted and done in unrealistic colors. There are four versions of the painting. Munch’s source of inspiration: Munch wrote, “ I was walking along a path with two friends – the sun was setting – suddenly the sky turned blood red – I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence – there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city – my friends walked on, and I stood trembling with anxiety – and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.” This quote has led some to believe that the person in the painting is not screaming, but reacting to the scream passing through nature. In 2003, astronomers identified the time that the painting depicted – the eruption of Krakatoa in 1883 caused unusually intense sunsets throughout Europe, which Munch captured in the painting. The central figure in the painting was thought to be inspired by a mummy that Munch had seen at a museum before he painted “The Scream.” At some point while the painting was on display, a vandal wrote, “This was painted by a madman” on a red strip in the sky. The painting has been stolen twice – in 1994 and 2004. It was found again, in August of 2006. The damage was apparently minimal. The scream has been used in advertising, cartoons, television and movies. In the horror movie, Scream, Ghost face wears a Halloween mask that looks like the central figure in the painting. In Home Alone, Macaulay Culkin’s pose in front of the mirror is also of the same figure. Possible Questions: o Do you recognize this painting? o What do you think of this painting? How would you describe it? o What do you think the artist is trying to convey? (an emotion) o How did Munch use color to set the mood? (Discuss how the colors are not realistic, but based on emotion) o Do you like it? Why or why not? o Refer to the background information to pose more questions and encourage discussion of the painting. o What colors represent what feelings to you? Happy, Sad, Fear, Excitement, Pain, etc o Do you like the title? Would you give it another name? (The Scream was originally titled Despair.) ACTIVITY: “Encaustic” Moment Explain Activity: This project is done in two parts but is well worth the time. Part 1: students will create a collage and add a white wash. Part 2: students will use a thick layer of crayon on fine sandpaper depicting an emotion and iron it on their collage. Materials Needed: Part 1 - magazines, 9”x12” white heavy white paper, glue, scissors, diluted white paint (whitewash), 1-1/2” paintbrushes, bowls for paint, mats for whitewash area. Part 2 – old, broken crayons; 9”x12” fine grit sandpaper; old iron, fabric to protect ironing surface. 1) PART 1 - Have the students brainstorm on different types of emotions (happy, sad, surprised, scared, mad, etc.) and write them on the board. Associate these emotions with words that describe these emotions or themselves. Have a student write these on a sheet of paper to use in Part 2. 2) Hand out to each student a sheet of heavy paper, a magazine, glue and scissors. Place about 5-6 bowls of the whitewash and mats on a large table with 10-12 paintbrushes. 3) Label back of paper with student name. 4) Have students search the magazines for words that describe their emotion of the moment and cut them out. Have them find at least six in different font styles and type sizes. 5) Arrange their words on the heavy paper and glue them in place when they are satisfied with their layout. Instruct them to not use too much glue as you want these to dry quickly. 6) When glue is dry, students go to the whitewash table and paint their entire piece so it is uniform in color but the words are still readable. 7) Let dry in a safe area. 8) PART 2- hand out to each student a sheet of the sandpaper and bag of the old crayons. Have them draw a self-portrait with the crayons to match the words they previously selected. They want to exaggerate their features as in the expressionist style, rather than make their face look real. Have them locate their figure so they may put a background prop (i.e. fence, tree, buildings, other people). 9) Make sure they press really hard with the crayons and layer the colors so they are thick. Remind them that the colors they use are not to be realistic, but instead reflect their emotion. They can remove the paper wrap from the crayons. 10) This STEP to be completed by the Art Guide Volunteer. When they are finished coloring their self-portrait/emotion/background. Have them match this with their whitewash collage and bring them to you. Flip the sandpaper on top of the whitewash and press a hot iron (set on wool) to the back of the sandpaper. Use the fabric to protect the ironing surface. Separate the pieces while still warm and let cool. The crayon should melt onto the collage to create a textured - “encaustic” - image. Photograph of Edvard Munch and Other Works Jealousy II The Sick Child Vampire Love Feeling Separation Parody of the Scream .