Upon hearing the unfortunate fate of Munch’s painting, my first thought was for the work itself. I believe that there is a little something of the artist himself (or herself) in the pieces they leave, so I can’t help but wonder just how Munch himself would handle the theft. After all, this painting is his ultimate expression of anxiety, born from personal experience. That screaming figure is Munch himself, as it is a recreation of his own existential horror. See what makes this different? So many artists seek out the beauty of life and apply it to staff and canvas, including Munch himself. Yet “The Scream” is anything but. And even after he’d molded paint into nightmare once, he had to do it a second, third and fourth time.
My second thought was for the way “The Scream” has become just another part of popular culture, almost to its detriment. I mean, truly, look at that pale little figure on the bridge. Note the hands on either side of his face. See the gaping mouth. Now, tell me the first thing that comes to mind. Be honest. It’s not the futility of living, is it? No. It’s that damned Home Alone poster.
The third thought was of security. Now, I realize that museum guards in Oslo aren’t packing heat. That’s the Norwegian way and who am I to question their gun policy. But I ask you, any of you who’ve been to the High Museum of Art here in Atlanta, or even the annex down at the Georgia-Pacific Building: Are those guard not the most incredibly vigilant people on the planet or what? If you even so much as exhale within a foot of a hanging artwork, they are on you instantly. And if they can’t stealthilly appear at your elbow, they have a pinpoint way of yelling (politely) directly at you that manages to put you in your place with none of the other patrons ever noticing your mistep. It’s phenomenal, actually. Yet here’s the thing … I have no idea if those guards are armed or not. Their breadth of presence is far more than enough to defend the wares they watch. So maybe, just maybe, the Oslovians need to visit, just to pick up some of the finer tactics of Atlanta’s Museum Finest.
