Symbolism & Aestheticism · 1863–1944 · Norwegian

Edvard Munch

Munch used color for emotion rather than description: in The Scream the sky burns orange and red over a blue-black fjord. He returned to the subject several times, in paint, pastel and print.

Across 5 works, the colors are mostly brown (40%), black (33%) and gray (17%). On average the canvases are dark, muted and warm. Signature colors, used far more here than across the collection: charcoal, very dark sienna, blue black, dark slate and soot.

Color print

The swatches covering most of these canvases, averaged over every work, dark to light.

• MG 222 charcoal 18.8% of canvas
• MG 223 soot 7.3% of canvas
• MG 221 blue black 6.2% of canvas
• MG 218 graphite 5.0% of canvas
• MG 211 dark slate 5.0% of canvas
• MG 217 iron 3.8% of canvas
• MG 174 warm grey 3.7% of canvas
• MG 146 very dark sienna 3.4% of canvas
• MG 176 taupe 3.4% of canvas
• MG 177 dark taupe 3.1% of canvas
• MG 175 stone 3.1% of canvas
• MG 219 bistre 3.1% of canvas
• MG 216 dark grey 2.8% of canvas
• MG 156 dark reddish brown 2.3% of canvas
• MG 165 amber brown 2.2% of canvas
• MG 220 warm black 2.1% of canvas

Measurements

Lightness

0.38

Contrast

0.39

Vividness

0.026

Warmth

+0.81

Complexity

111 cells

Hue range

0.46

Focus

0.15

Works

• The Scream, 1893
• Vampire, 1893
• Jealousy, 1895
• Puberty, 1895
• The Kiss, 1897