Mystery inscription in ‘the Scream’ may have been resolved



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“The Scream” by Edvard Munch is one of the most enduring paintings in the world.

His androgynous muse seems to be in some kind of agony and waves of bold colors overwhelm the viewer. But what appears in the upper left corner of the masterpiece has intrigued the art world for decades. It reads: “Could only have been painted by a fool.”

There has been speculation that a vandal somehow inscribed the words on the 1893 painting, but the New York Times reported that curators at the National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design of Norway had determined that the words had been written by Munch himself.

Mai Britt Guleng, one of the curators, told The Times he had examined the “letter by letter” inscription and determined it was “identical in every way to Munch’s handwriting.”

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“So there is no longer any doubt,” he said.

The BBC reported that “The Scream” is the second most recognizable work of art ever created, behind “Mona Lisa” by master Leonardo da Vinci. The report states that Munch created four versions of the painting, but the most famous dates from 1893. There is a theory that the figure in the painting is a self-portrait of Munch.

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The Times reported that Munch took a diary and said the painting was inspired by a “whiff of melancholy.”

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The inscription is not large enough to be noticed with the naked eye, and the Times said curators are using infrared photography to distinguish the lettering. The report states that the N and D written in the inscription led researchers to determine: “It’s Munch.”

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