The man behind The Scream

THE SCREAM is one of the world’s most recognisable paintings. Copies of the anguished expressionist work can be found in any major poster shop and it is even the name and symbol of a popular pub chain in Britain.

But who was the man behind the 1893 masterpiece?

Edvard Munch was born in Loten, East Norway, in 1863.

He began painting at the age of 17 in Oslo, but was mainly based in Paris and Berlin for the next 20 years.

His main early influences were impressionism and post-impressionism but his concern with images of misery and death led him to become a proponent of the emerging German art form expressionism.

One of his friends was playwright Henrik Ibsen - Munch designed the sets for some of his plays.

But The Scream is undoubtedly Munch’s best-known work.

Its popularity increased rapidly during the latter half of the 20th Century.

The image of an anguished figure, fear etched upon the face, has reached iconic status alongside the likes of Van Gogh’s Sunflowers.

The work was part of a series of pictures called The Frieze of Life, described by Munch himself as “a poem of life, love and death.”

Its blur of colours and form are loved by millions and many see it as a symbol of the alienation of the modern age.

Munch wrote of the painting: “I was walking along a path with two friends - the sun was setting - suddenly the sky turned blood red.

“I paused, feeling exhausted, and leaned on the fence - there was blood and tongues of fire above the blue-black fjord and the city.

“My friends walked on, and I stood there trembling with anxiety - and I sensed an infinite scream passing through nature.”

It is believed it would be difficult for the thieves to sell an original of The Scream on the black market, given how recognisable it is - and the Norwegian authorities will be hoping this could be the key to its return.