This gallery focuses on the emotion of fear, and its impact on human psyche and our culture. Throughout history, fear has driven us to explore new lands and adapt in order to survive. Our early ancestors feared starvation, diseases, and predators. Today we fear the future, loss of loved ones, and more trivial situations like pop quizzes and speeding tickets. Conquering such fears has defined our species, and over the centuries we have expressed this in our art. Primal emotions, like fear, transcend nations and generations. Therefore we have a vast assortment of pieces to choose from. - Isaac Olexio, Curator.
The Scream, Edvard Munch, 1910, From the collection of: The Munch Museum, Oslo
This emotionally dramatic painting, The Scream, is a prime example of fear being expressed in art. The background shows movement flowing towards the man in the middle, screaming with a loud silence.
A relatable scenario of fear, a figure popping up at the foot of ones bed, is depicted here. The piece can be taken in a positive or negative way, but the people in bed's facial expressions convey fear.
city eyes, Rone, 2014/2014, From the collection of: All Those Shapes
This photograph symbolizes fear to anyone affected by a phobia of heights. Upon closer inspection, a woman's face can be seen on one of the shorter buildings. She appears to be stressed or worried.
Christ on the Mount of Olives (Christ’s Fear of Death), Giovanni Battista Caracciolo, called Battistello, 1615/1617, From the collection of: Kunsthistorisches Museum Wien
A different aspect of fear is explored in this dark painting. Christ's own fear towards his inevitable death. This concept brings Christ down to a human level, relatable to the everyday person.
Surprise!, Lim, Sung Soo, 2007, From the collection of: Korean Art Museum Association
This image depicts an evil entity bursting into a room full of babies hooked up to bathing machines. The lighting in the picture, along with the evil look in the intruder's face, creates a sense of fear in the audience.
Anger, Envy, and Fear, George Romney, 1734–1802, British, undated, From the collection of: Yale Center for British Art
Fear is but one of the three emotions shown in this drawing. Fear is the left-most face, followed by anger in the middle, and envy on the right side. These three emotions go hand in hand, and Romney was obviously intrigued by their relationship.
no reason to be scared, Herakut, 2012/2012, From the collection of: All Those Shapes
The immediate reaction to this image is one of petty for the fearful girl on the wall. She appears desperate, and hungry. However the text reads, "no reason to be scared", which seems to contradict the imagery.
Hans Burgkmair, Lovers Surprised by Death, a woodcut, 1510/1510, From the collection of: British Museum
The woman's fear is justified as she watches her husband being overcome by death. The attacker seems to be looking at her implying his next move will be a lunge at her. Despite this being one moment, the moment translates well and the image feels like a scene.
Mysterious Unification, Li, Set Byul, 2009, From the collection of: Korean Art Museum Association
The mysterious background is inferred to be the reason for this woman's fearful expression. Her eyes call out to us for help, but she doesn't say a word. She doesn't need to, we emphasize with her based on her face alone.
Blue and green (arthroplasty), Dame Barbara Hepworth (artist), 1947, From the collection of: Te Papa
The eyes of the doctors performing the surgery show determination and focus driven by fear. It's the doctors duty to perform the stressful operation, and he embraces his fears to push him forward.
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
