A painting by Edvard Munch, a Norwegian expressionist painter, sold on May 2, 2012 at auction for $ 119,922,500. This is an absolute record of the cost of the canvas for all the time.
Edvard Munch painted a series of paintings between 1893 and 1910. Each depicts a stylized, screaming figure of a man walking across a bridge against a flaming sky. The artist himself said that one day, while walking with friends on the bridge, he turned around and looked at the sunset. And instantly he felt a strange feeling, as if nature was screaming around him, blazing in the fire of the sunset.
The original title of the painting is "Scream of Nature". The canvas depicts a rather primitive human figure, an absolutely bald head, a wide rounded mouth, eyes open in fear. And everything else is written in bright, eye-cutting paints. The strokes, like waves, frame, move away from the face of the central character, creating a visible sound wave that vibrates the whole of nature. And only the bridge remains straight and unshakable.
Some say that the painting was painted under the influence of drugs. Someone is sure that it was created at the time of exacerbation of the artist's manic-depressive psychosis. However, it must be admitted 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. There were assassination attempts and two thefts on them. Undoubtedly, this fueled interest in canvases. The fourth painting, executed in pastels, 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 "The Scream" was also acquired by an unknown person.
Works of art tend to grow in price exponentially. This can be influenced by 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. No wonder its owners do not disclose their names. But who knows, it is likely that soon another canvas will attract public attention and Edvard Munch and his "Scream" will give way to first place on the podium.
