VIEWS OF INSANITY
The Scream by Edvard Munch	Corridor in the Asylum by Vincent van Gogh

1. What is the title of the Munch painting? What are all the different things in the painting that make us think or feel "scream?"

2. What is the title of the van Gogh painting? Because this is an asylum, how does the corridor suggest insanity?

3. If we assume that both paintings try to communicate feelings of anxiety and mental instability, who is the anxious or unstable person in each painting?

4. How is repetition used by both artists? What are the shapes or lines being repeated? Why is this repetition a good match of a disturbed mind?

5. How is rhythm used by both artists? What is the general pattern of the movements? Can you see the pattern of a vortex or whirlpool in the paintings? Why is this a good way to show a disturbed mind?

6. How is colour used in the two paintings? Do these colours add to our experience of uneasiness?

7. Do you think it's more disturbing to see a disturbed person or to see with the eyes of a disturbed person? In other words, do you think Munch or van Gogh is more effective in communicating the feelings of insanity or anxiety?