http://youtu.be/UfO4WuI9IIo
http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/f/f4/The_Scream.jpg/220px-The_Scream.jpg
Edvard Munch's early 20th century painting the Scream is quite well known around the world, and is what I personally would classify as 'high art', for its detail, medium and talent. The above video is an interpreted animated version of the Scream, done by Sebastian Cosor. Not only is the piece accompanied by music in Cosor's video, but two other characters are also introduced, and the shift consequently focuses from the main subject of the original work to the two male characters.
The video dramatically changes the original tone of the painting, in the sense that the audience no longer has to work hard to read the expression of the painting's subject, it is already interpreted for them through the music. I honestly don't really know what to make of it--the subject seems to be agonizing over death, and while this is definitely disturbing, I still don't know whether or not it's more or less effective than the original painting.
One thing i really admire is how Cosor really brought the background of the painting to life. The reds of the sky and blues of the valley are very vivid in comparison to the original painting, and the video allows for more play with shadows, adding to the overall sombre tone. The background goes from being very abstract to being much more concrete, with houses added.
Overall, I admire the idea of adapting a painting to another art form, but I'm not entirely sure I like how the message of the painting is spelled out for the reader, eliminating any chance for the reader to connect with the painting on a more intellectual level.
I have never seen this painting before, or the video. I think this topic is very interesting! I like how the video ties in with the painting, and explains it for the viewer, rather than having the viewer explain the image. I have never encountered anything like this before! I think its great to mention that the painting focuses less on the two men, and the video changes that and focuses primarily on the two men. Do you think Cosor intentionally did this from his own interpretation of the original image?
ReplyDeleteI studied this image a long time ago, maybe high school, and as I recall there was a diary entry that went along with it. I think the video has more to do with a production of the diary entry. The two other men in the video are his friends and the character was meant to be himself.
ReplyDeleteAlso the Scream movies (modern pop art) is influenced by this image.