While the Mona Lisa is easily the most famous painting in the world, The Scream is just as notable, but for a different reason. We may remember the Mona Lisa for its beauty and mystery, but we know about The Scream for its stark horror and passion. But what's really at the heart of this painting?

The artist responsible for The Scream is Edvard Munch, a Norwegian painter who was born in 1863. Throughout most of his youth, Munch suffered from constant illness and was tormented with intense visions and  periods of despair. Despite the wishes of his father, Munch pursued his talent for art and used painting as an outlet for his psychological turmoil. His highly symbolic and provocative work, however, caused a stir in his native land and Munch had more success in Paris and Berlin, where he found inspiration from the likes of Paul Gauguin, Vincent van Gogh, and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. It was during this time that he began a series of paintings called The Frieze of Life, from which The Scream was born.

Originally titled Der Schrei der Natur ("The Scream of Nature"), The Scream is one of Munch's most evocative artworks. Munch explains the inspiration behind his painting: "I sensed a scream passing through nature; it seemed to me that I heard the scream. I painted this picture, painted the clouds as actual blood. The color shrieked. This became The Scream."

In the painting, a lone shrieking figure stands on a bridge at sunset. This figure could be purely symbolic or even a representation of Edvard Munch himself. This painting perfectly captures Munch's blend of the Realist and Impressionist styles. While the bridge itself is level and straight, the central figure, the ocean, and the evening sky are all twisted and warped in a show of anguish and passion. The artist takes what would have been an otherwise peaceful bridge-crossing at sunset and adds a new layer of raw emotion to it. The torment that Munch felt or sensed in that moment is perfectly captured and delivered to the audience.

There are four versions of The Scream that Munch painted, and all four available for viewing at the National Gallery and Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway. However, some of these paintings have also been stolen and gone missing for months or years at a time. Fortunately, all four have been recovered and restored, allowing new generations of the art-loving public to appreciate their passion once more.

Image by Christopher Macsurak on Flickr