"Scream" If you find the Painting!

One of the stories that i had been following for the last two months is the theft of Edvard Munch's painting "The Scream", from the Edward Much Museum in Norway. An article that i had read recently on cnn.com, Police 'closing in' on Scream robbers, states that Norway police are closing in on the two gunmen who escaped with one of the world's most famous paintings. They are trying to establish a link between the getaway car, a Black Audi, and the culprits. I
The Scream is a perfect example of how Europe moved towards abstract art in the 20th century in terms of painting. The picture is far from real. It looks hazy and gives a very surreal feeling, as if it is an image in one's mind. I think it was a forerunner to Twentieth century abstract art.
This picture is very symbolic, and anyone could relate to it. The picture depicts a very basic human emotion or state of mind; fear. I remember the first time I saw this painting I felt a chill running up my spine. The red sky, the person's face, the eyes, the gaping mouth, the hands slapped to the face. It even shows that the expression of fear ( eyes, hand, face ) is universal. It's the same everywhere. I also think that this painting reflected the mood at the time, as this painting was completed in 1893, 7 years away from a new century( The Scream, 1893). There must have been a certain feeling of worry about the coming century. We have also experienced this before Y2K.
The painting is also a prime example of Expressionist art, art that tried to depict human emotions. Expressionism itself was based on African art ( Overview of Expressionist Art), which is less realistic, more holistic and more characteristic of an aural culture. this could also signify the gradual movement of Europe to a more auralculture, or at least the incorporation of aural culture amidst it's predominantly literate one.
All these factors make it an icon of not only the Expressionist Movement, or of Europes gradual move away from realism in painting, but also of human emotion.

Sources used :

(2001, Oct 15). Police "Closing in" on Scream Robbers. Retrieved Oct 21, 2004 from http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/europe/10/15/crime.art.munch.dc.reut/index.html

(1998)The Scream, 1893. Retrieved October 21,2004 from http://www.museumsnett.no/nasjonalgalleriet/munch/eng/innhold/ngm00939.html

Overview Of Expressionist Art. Retrieved Octiber 21, 2004 from http://www.fine-arts-prints.net/expressionistart.htm