"It's kind of cool. The sky is super cool. It makes me feel cool." - Mason
"It makes me feel cool because it looks like lava...a volcano." -Kai
"I like that painting. I like the sky and the water. It makes me feel like I am eating Superman ice cream."- Alex
"It looks like she doesn't have any arms. It makes me feel sad." -Lilith
"It looks like the water is sailing really fast. The water and waves look like it is coming up like a mountain or hill." -Folu
"She looks weird. (Makes "O" face with her mouth.) It looks like her ears are hanging down." - Ava
"It looks like she is walking on the beach and the colors are blended together like a rainbow." "-Olivia
"I think something dangerous is happening." - Niccolo
"The sky is "orangey" and the sky is breaking up." -Maia
"I saw that picture before and it looks like the ears are dropping down like a dog." - Eleanor
Further discussion about Munch revealed that he was an Expressionist. He expressed his feelings through his artwork using colors and bold brushstrokes. "The Scream" was not painted realistically like a photograph would depict but instead allowed the choice of color, and movement of lines and shapes to "express" a mood. According to Edvard Munch's diary, he had experienced a lot of sadness in his childhood and stated:
"I was walking along the road with two friends. The sun set. I felt a tinge of melancholy. (Kindergartners discovered that melancholy meant deep sadness.) Suddenly the sky became a bloody red. I stopped and I leaned against the railing, dead tired. I looked at the flaming clouds that hung like blood and a sword over the fjord (narrow sea) and the city. My friends walked on. I stood their, trembling with fright, and I felt a loud, unending scream piercing nature."
Other sources stated that Munch was mourning the loss of loved ones or the plight of the people during a time of famine. It also stated that the center figure (contrary to belief, is not the one screaming! He (not she) is listening to the screams of the hurting therefore is covering his own ears!
It was an insightful and powerful discussion. Some children stated that if they heard someone screaming they would "try to help them" or " ask them what was wrong."
Edvard Munch also used the medium of black and white etchings. We compared his color rendition with the black and white print. "It looks like she's screaming because she lost all of her color" was Olivia's comment about the black and white print.
We afterward painted our own color interpretations of "a scream."
Art is an amazing way of assisting children with making sense of their world, expressing feelings and validating hidden ones. Art appreciation (and visits to museum's) confirm size, scale, and color, and teach a respect and understanding of aesthetics, definitions of "beauty", being able to own one's opinion, and forming personal taste. All of these attributes are very empowering to young minds.
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