Featured The Scream Isn't Screaming

Discussion in 'Art' started by cxgirl, Mar 24, 2019.

  1. Fid

    Fid Well-Known Member

    and then there's the question about Munch's German. he most probably learnt it at school already but the "quality" is only a guess.
    for a long time German was the language spoken on sea along the Scandinavian coast and in the Baltic Sea.
     
    Ghopper1924 and Bronwen like this.
  2. Figtree3

    Figtree3 What would you do if you weren't afraid?

    Nice article... I wish I could see the exhibit!

    And I also wonder whether the image is a human screaming (or shrieking, or whichever translation) or if the person is meant to represent the scream of nature itself. He does mention his own perception of it, so it's probably not the latter? But who knows... I guess those people quoted in the article have already made up their minds.
     
    Ghopper1924 likes this.
  3. pearlsnblume

    pearlsnblume Well-Known Member

    I read somewhere a long time ago, that it was someone having a migraine headache. Live and learn.
     
    Ghopper1924 likes this.
  4. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    He painted the Scream while he was living in Berlin, which is probably why the note on the back of the litho is in German rather than Norwegian. He would have spoken mostly German in Berlin.

    The Hanseatic language in Scandinavia was mostly a written trade language, but some words entered the local spoken languages. I don't think the influence on 19th century Norwegian was such that Munch could have confused it with High German, especially since he would have had a fair command of the German language during his Berlin period, when the Scream was painted.
    The Hanseatic language influence in Norwegian comes from the main Hanseatic language, now called Middle Low German. It is different from the modern High German Munch wrote in the note. The closest present day relatives of Hanseatic German are to be found in northern Germany and in the Netherlands.
    Geschrei is not a word in Saxon Dutch, which is one of the closest relatives to Hanseatic Middle Low German. It is a word in Franconian Dutch, but that is not relevant to the Hanseatic language.

    Here is some info on Middle Low German loanwords in Scandinavian languages and the Hansa link:
    http://germanic.eu/Middle-Low-German-loanwords-in-the-Scandinavian-languages.htm
     
    Ghopper1924 likes this.
  5. Ghopper1924

    Ghopper1924 Well-Known Member

    Geshrei is a cognate to shriek. "Ge" as a prefix means big, or alternatively (I suppose) many. The big shriek went through nature. No unicorns and rainbows for this guy!

    But what can you expect from someone who stores his masterpieces outside in the snow? :) Love Munch's work though. Fantastic!
     
  6. Any Jewelry

    Any Jewelry Well-Known Member

    Ge in Geschrei transforms the verb 'schreien' into a noun. It is a common prefix in many Germanic languages. It is also used for single, tiny things.;)
     
Draft saved Draft deleted

Share This Page