Portrait of Friedrich Nietzsche (1906) & Der Schrei der Natur (The Scream 1893)
Even if we don't know much about the Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, or Expressionism (the school he is most associated with), we still know and can immediately identify the masterpiece of his--Der Schrei der Natur (The Scream).
The highly distorted contours, of the foregrounded screamer and the backgrounded water body and skies, force the viewer to anchor her/his gaze along the straight stretch of the bridge, until the two shadowed figures at the far end make her/him wonder again. Enigmatic nature, obscure passers-by, and the macabre alien-like countenance, all contribute to extreme disturbing viewing experience of this painting. The viewer can be as panicking as the screamer and a certain life-depriving experience is shared.
With less intensity and brighter hues, the hand that wrought the many-version-ed Scream depicted Friedrich Nietzsche in a non-panicking and a lot more pensive mood. The sky is light with bright yellow instead of grained with streaming blood, the ensuring visage of Nietzsche offers the viewer's gaze a relaxed rest. Slightly leaning against the thin walling of a balcony, Nietzsche mans the walled-in darker hues which lay down a slant but sure foundation for this painting.
What bothers me is the town-like lump on the left which I cannot quite make out, but the blue patches on either side of Nietzsche make for an accidental pair of wings which adds a humorous touch serves as an amusing distraction.
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