Discovered in 1904, the inscription on one of the original paintings “The Scream” was for years considered an act of vandalism against a work of art. Norwegian researchers have now determined who is its author?
During an exhibition in Copenhagen in 1904, an inscription written in pencil on the first of Edward Munch’s 4 “Scream” paintings was spotted. The inscription stated “(This) could only have been painted by a madman!”. Initially it was suspected that one of the painter’s harsh critics was behind the inscription, but it was confirmed that the inscription was made by the author of “The Scream” himself. The motivation for the inscription was supposed to be the words of one of the painter’s students, who accused him of mental problems.
The curator of the Norwegian National Museum in Oslo, Mai Britt Guleng, who is the head of research for the painting, admitted that a camera that takes infrared images, calligraphy art and a microscope were used to conduct the specialized research. “The Scream” from 1893 will be open to the public again when the museum reopens in 2022
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