Edvard Munch lesson

I have wanted to do this project on The Scream by Edvard Munch (not pronounced munch, more like munk) ever since I saw it on Pinterest years ago but have never managed to get around to it. So glad I finally did! Here are some fun or interesting facts I learned about the artist and his incredibly famous painting:

- the first version of The Scream was painted without a figure in front! Can you imagine how much less attention it would've received if that was also his final version?

- The Scream does not refer to the figure standing in the front. It's nature that's screaming. Munch wrote, "I was walking along the road with two of my friends. The sun set. The sky became a bloody red. And I felt a touch of melancholy. I stood still, dead tired. Over the blue-black fjord and city hung blood and tongues of fire. My friends walked on. I stayed behind, trembling with fright. I felt the great scream in nature."

- The Scream was embarrassingly stolen, a horrible blow to national pride revealed during the opening ceremonies of the 1994 Olympics in Lillehammer. In 50 seconds. The thieves left a note, which read, "thanks for poor security." One of my students said "that sure was snotty!" It was thankfully recovered although the thieves got off on a technicality.

- 10 years later, it was stolen again! In daylight by men in ski masks with weapons. It took them about 20 seconds! They didn't take as good of care of the masterpiece and it was pretty badly damaged when it was recovered two years later. 

- M & M launched a campaign to sell dark chocolate M & Ms using the popularity of The Scream because of the second theft, unveiled like a masterpiece at the Guggenheim, and promised a reward of 2 million dark chocolate M & Ms as a reward for its return.

- The Scream sold for $119.9 million in 2012, during a recession!

I used these books: Famous Works of Art and How They Got That Way, Edvard Munch, The Modern Life of the Soul (has lots of great images to share), and Get Into Art People, Discover Great Art and Create Your Own! 

We then studied a few different versions of The Scream, noting the intense "blood-red sunset," the way his lines flow and the variety of color in every part of the painting. They recreated it with Nupastels and glued the picture of them self screaming on top. 

My first group:

The second group:

I so rarely have students try to copy a painting but I love how different these turned out while still being the same. And with all of them having the same 12 colors to choose from, while doing them side by side. And they had a blast, so I win!