This Day In History: Artist Edvard Munch was born on this day in 1863. He is best known for his painting, "The Scream," an image that inspired the mask in the Wes Craven movie "Scream" and the poster for ‘Home Alone’ featuring Macauly Caulkin.
In his diary in 1892, Munch describes his inspiration for The Scream:
"One evening I was walking along a path, the city was on one side and the fjord below. I felt tired and ill. I stopped and looked out over the fjord – the sun was setting, and the clouds turning blood red. I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became The Scream."
The bridge depicted in The Scream is said to have been a popular spot for suicides, and it was within listening distance of a slaughterhouse and an insane asylum.
During the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, thieves placed a ladder up to the window of the National Gallery in Oslo, made their way inside, and made off with the painting. The theft was so easily committed, they left a note that read, "Thanks for the poor security." The painting was recovered within three months. It was stolen again 10 years later. London bookies were taking bets in 2012 that the painting would be stolen again before it went to auction at 20/1 odds.
Munch's later years were private, but not after battling heavy drinking and a mental breakdown.
Munch's later years were private, but not after battling heavy drinking and a mental breakdown.
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