Why Is The Sky Red?
Astronomers say the lurid sky in 'The Scream' by Edvard Munch was inspired by a volcanic eruption half a world away.
Striking up a conversation about the weather has become synonymous with small talk these days — but it's no trivial topic. Throughout history, unexpected shifts in weather have had the power to disrupt moods, politics and entire civilizations.
Changing weather conditions have helped spark revolution and even offset major military invasions. And in at least one case, it influenced one of the most iconic images to emerge from art.
In Edvard Munch's "The Scream," painted in 1893, we see a ghostly figure clutching his face and wailing beneath a blood-red sky. According to recent research, this haunting sky was likely inspired by a real-life meteorological phenomenon.
In 1883, the eruption of the volcano Krakatoa spewed ash into the atmosphere. The sulfur dioxide cast a blanket around the world that cooled the Earth and threw weather patterns into chaos. The dust also turned skies into fantastic colors.
In Norway, the vivid red sunsets are thought to have inspired Munch's surreal sky, and he wrote at the time, "clouds like blood and tongues of fire hung above the blue-black fjord and the city."
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