The Scream is possibly one of most recognised piece of art of the Expressionist movement or perhaps in all of art history. Its creator, Edvard Munch, a Norwegian painter and printmaker, was well-known for creating works of art that contained a great amount of intensity.

A pioneer in the Expressionist movement, a movement that focused on the subjective emotions and the surrounding influences rather than actual reality, Munch often used techniques such as distortion and exaggeration to produce his works of art.

“Sickness, insanity and death were the angels that surrounded
my cradle and they have followed me throughout my life.”
– Edvard Munch

Growing up, Munch faced a hard childhood, losing his mother and one of his sisters at a young age. Furthermore, another sister was diagnosed with a mental illness, a third sister died as a young adult, while Munch himself often fell ill. This “sickness, insanity and death” became a part of him and affected the kind of work he would produce as an artist. For instance, Munch’s series of art works, A Frieze of Life, played on the themes of love, anxiety, melancholy and death. His art pieces were often dark and haunting and one would be able to feel the deep emotions that went into every stroke of his brush.

“We should no longer paint interiors with men reading and
women knitting. We should paint living people who breathe,
feel, suffer and love.”
– Edvard Munch, 1889

Besides The Scream, his other prominent works include Madonna, Death in the Sickroom and The Dance of Life.

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edvard_Munch
http://www.edvardmunch.info/
http://www.original.rolandcollection.com/rolandcollection/section/14/507.htm
http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/C20th/expressionism.htm