A century-old secret hidden in a masterpiece of madness
In short: For 117 years, a tiny pencil inscription remained a mystery on one of the world's most famous paintings. This video explores how modern technology finally revealed what was written beneath the surface of Edvard Munch’s iconic work.
In 1904, a Danish art critic discovered a nearly invisible sentence written in pencil on "The Scream." The haunting words read: "Can only have been painted by a madman." This observation sparked over a century of debate regarding the authorship and intent behind the mark.
The mystery was finally resolved in 2021 when the National Museum of Norway utilized infrared technology to examine the painting. The analysis provides a deeper look into Edvard Munch’s life and the polarizing history of his most famous work.
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