HISTORY
Experts trace hidden ‘madman’ message on The Scream
Words by Yasemin Saplakoglu
Written in tiny, faint letters in the top-left corner of Edvard Munch’s painting The Scream is a mysterious inscription that reads: “Could only have been painted by a madman!”
Experts have long debated the identity of the inscriber, with some suggesting a dissatisfied vandal is the author, while others pointed fingers at the Norwegian painter himself. Now a new analysis finds that the mysterious phrase was almost undoubtedly inscribed in Munch’s own handwriting. The faint inscription, written in pencil, is visible to the naked eye, but it isn’t very clear.