Zombie Research Society
Considered and Expressionist masterpiece, The Scream was painted by Edvard Munch in 1893, and depicts a terrorized figure against a blood-red sky.
Bald, skeletal, and clearly more aware of the surrounding horror than the calm couple strolling in the background, Munch’s character captures the essence of modern zombie – both in its agony and its threat – 75 years before it ever lurched onto the silver screen in George Romero’s 1968 classic Night of the Living Dead.
Reminds me of the Brat in the Home Alone movies
I’m certain some art major will condemn me forever as an uncultured savage, but I’ve never been fond of this painting. I’d go so far as to say I think it sucks. If it’s well painted, original, fraught with social significance…okay, credit where it’s due, I reckon. It is pretty cool to paint a picture that people still look at fondly 117 years later.
I still think it sucks. Your “holy shit, I’m a zombie!” interpretation is much more entertaining than the idea of viewing a sunset as screaming. What’d Munch think of rainbows, that they looked like a garrot about to strangle the Sun? Freaking bummer, man.
Maybe the couple approaching are known badass zombie killers and he’s freaking out that he could lose his head. Now it’s starting to be more fun.
Interesting post. Thanks for sharing, ZRS folks. Keep up the good work.
As much as it does capture the mood of the impending zombie apocalypse, this painting was actually inspired by a sunset. The original title was meant to be ‘Scream of Nature’, as that is what Munch saw the blood-reds and brilliant oranges of the sunset to be. Nonetheless, an interesting view of a piece expressionist art.