Unexpected research results have been published as to why the masterpiece 'Scream', which depicts Munch's inner suffering, was noticeably damaged.

Italy's National Research Council has published the findings of the world's beloved Edvard Munch's scream that the color faded because of the 'breath' exhaled by viewers.

The masterpiece, Scream, which Munk began drawing in 1893 and completed in 1910, was stolen from the Munch Museum in Oslo, Norway in 2004, and only returned to his place in 2006. Although it has undergone precise restoration work, it has faded more and more quickly, and the question of why it has grown has grown.

"Under research, Munch seems to have used not only paints made of pure cadmium sulfide, but also paints of poor quality due to the mixing of chlorides," said Professor Koan Zansen of Antwerp University. He also added that the chemical industry was not developed at the time, and the quality of the paint was uneven.

The problem is that poor quality paints are very sensitive to air humidity. "When people come close to see the picture and exhale, it increases the ambient humidity due to water vapor. As the phenomenon repeated, the picture gradually deformed," he explained. In particular, the yellow swirl on the picture background is now almost white.

"You may need to completely isolate the picture from people," said Professor Jansen. "If you don't do that, you shouldn't breathe near the picture in a way that shows respect for the work." The Munch Museum said it would discuss with the researchers where and how it would be better to display the paintings.

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(Photo = Getty Image Korea)