How lovely to see that Edvard Munch's seminal artwork known as "The Scream" has sold for the princely sum of almost $120M! No question about it, it is one of the most recognizable pieces of art in the world, and is as much part of pop culture as it is happy being the showpiece in the rarefied airs of velvet-lined showrooms for the art-collecting elite of that same world. While everyone is free to do whatever they want with their money, whether hard-earned or not, there is simply an astonishing divide today between the have and have-nots. So many people in America, or in various countries in Europe, worry if they will ever have a job again, and whether their $120 weekly budget for groceries will be able to feed the family this week. While the talking heads of early evening news cheerfully announce that someone just spent $120M on some colored canvas: one that looks shockingly like some of the kids' drawings stuck to their own empty fridges.
One is forced to ask what the particular fascination with this artwork might be, and why it is now #1 of all time in works sold at auction. Well, the title might give the game away, and/or the image itself does. It probably appeals to many because of the supposed anxiety and despair that underlines it, and this always has been, and probably will ever be, to greater degree or less, a part of the human condition. Surely everyone has felt that loss of control at some point in their existence, or been racked with the fear of impending doom and gloom over any variety of life-threatening possibilities or situations. The truly ironic thing might be that in such tough economic times, where "The Scream" could well be the logo (Facebook timeline picture, anyone?) for modern life for so many, that it is someone with ridiculous levels of wealth who paid outrageous amounts of money for it. Thus, someone who lives in the stratosphere of financial security and comfort now gets to stare into the face of despair of millions of people who live in the valleys below them, every morning before breakfast? It is not quite as simple as that, however. We have all learnt that money, while surely easing some pains, is not the creator of happiness. That comes from a very different and much more fundamental source than the wallet or the bank, but makes one richer in a way that dollar signs never could. "The Scream" could also depict the mental torture of those who apparently have achieved so much in life, of which so many are so jealous, and yet many of them are racked with depression, loathing, greed, disease, or some other affliction. Quite often, the poor are not happy, and the uber-wealthy don't seem to be that much happier either. So be careful what you wish for, people.
But "The Scream" might well cross that great divide, appealing to one and all, because we can all find at least a little part of ourselves in it. It is the human condition, and well, we are all human in the end. The luck is just doled out in an unfair and less humane fashion, and a few get so much, if not it all, while many get little or nothing at all. But we are all responsible for creating our own happiness and not letting the scream(s) take over and run/ruin our lives. It all comes from the inside, and that is maybe what is so engaging about this artwork: it does seem to speak from the inside, and that inside is inside each and every one of us. Unlike many static works, this one truly does seem to communicate, and in today's world of social media and non-stop sociovirtual interactions, well, it seems very much of the moment.
And so, today? That scream just got an extremely high value placed upon on it, and it is screaming all the way to the bank, where the collective screams of 120 million people (at least) have been converted into a stockpile of $120M. Not a bad day's screaming! ;) - Kevin Mc
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