Munch(1863-1944): Scream (1983)

This picture is not about appearance of a man.  Rather, it is the image of his inner emotions. This is an image of fear, terrified with some unknown, as in a nightmare.  And the long, wavy lines seem to carry the echo of the scream into every corner of the picture.  These themes, dealing with one’s inner emotions and one’s relationship to a society at large, were the main topics which the young artists had to face at the turn of the century.  But the traditional approach to the art could not resolve these problems any longer.  Therefore, the young artists had to react to the situation.

Kokoschka(1886-1980): The Tempest (1914)

This picture is Kokoschka’s “The Bride of the Wind”, sometimes called “The Tempest”.  This painting is an allegorical representation of his great love affair with Alma Mahler, wife of Gustav Mahler during his real life.  It shows the painter’s inner struggle.  This unsettling of his inner emotions are conveyed through his choice of colors.  The white color of the couple and the dark color of the ground generate dramatic tension.  Also the restless and tortured forms add to the unreal, subconscious aspect of the painting.

Schiele(1890-1918): Pregnant Woman and Death (1911)

The overall darkness of this painting represents death, which embodies everything except for the figure’s face on left and the pregnant woman.  The darkness, which represents death, contrasts sharply with the under-painted white and red color of the exposed woman’s heavy body.  The unborn child in her womb can be interpreted as life.  In this aspect, this painting does not portray a particular situation, rather an image of tragic destiny.