Unraveling the Secrets of Edvard Munch’s The Mysterious Street

The Scream by Edvard Munch is arguably one of the most iconic artworks in history. The reason for its fame is clear: the painting captures an expression of deep pain and anxiety that resonates universally with the human experience. Each individual has, at some point, experienced a moment where they felt the urge to scream as if the entire world was overwhelming them. The Scream has come to epitomize the struggles of the modern individual – feeling lost, stressed, and vulnerable amidst the chaos of existence. Munch created four variations of this profound image, both in painting and pastel formats. Edvard Munch was a true master of capturing emotion through his art.

In his diary entry titled Nice 22 January 1892, Munch elaborated on what inspired him to create The Scream:

One evening, as I strolled along a path with the city on one side and the fjord below, I felt a wave of exhaustion and malaise. I paused to gaze over the fjord; the sun was setting, and the clouds had taken on a blood-red hue. At that moment, I felt a scream resonating through nature; it seemed as though I could hear it. I painted this image, depicting the clouds as if they were dripping blood. The colors seemed to shriek. This became The Scream.

Diaries of Edvard Munch, Nice, 1892.

This recollection was later adapted by Munch into a poem, which he intricately painted onto the frame of the 1895 pastel iteration of the artwork:

I was wandering along the road with two companions— the sun was setting— when suddenly the sky transformed into a blood red— I paused, feeling weary and leaned against a fence— above the blue-black fjord and city, there were fires and blood— my companions continued walking, and I stood there trembling with apprehension— sensing an infinite scream coursing through nature.

Edvard Munch, poem inscribed in The Scream, 1895.

The path Munch referenced indeed exists today. The inspiration for the painting was drawn from an overlook on a road named Valhallveien, situated on a hill above Oslo known as Ekeberg Hill. This area was frequently visited by Oslo’s citizens for a scenic view of the city. For many years, it has been believed that this vantage point, particularly right before the sharp turn in Valhallveien, served as the backdrop for Munch’s The Scream. Bob Egan from PopSpots was the first to identify this location, noting how the view and railing closely resemble the artwork.