Angst 1896

Edvard Munch created this woodcut, titled "Angst", using stark lines and unsettling imagery. The faces, mask-like, suggest a crowd consumed by inner turmoil. Here, the figures echo those found in earlier depictions of crowds in hell, their faces contorted with anguish. The red sky, a recurring symbol in Munch's work, recalls the turbulent skies of natural disasters, suggesting a world thrown into chaos. This primal fear, manifested in the faces of the figures, is a powerful force, engaging us on a deep, subconscious level. The motif of the anguished face reappears throughout art history, from medieval depictions of the damned to modern expressions of existential dread. It is a symbol of the human condition, an acknowledgment of our vulnerability in the face of an uncertain world. This symbol transcends time, resurfacing and evolving in different contexts, reflecting our ongoing struggle to understand our place in the universe.