How does the scream (painting) portray alienation, confusion, identity etc?

Why Dose the form of art "identity" exist, why do artists paint this form of art.?

• This is a question asked by a teacher, visual arts teacher. I haven't a clue why these artists would paint their life, my original guess was because they are the person they know the best, or their crazy, such as Vincent Van Gogh and Frida Kahlo, but obviously crazy is out of the option. These two are amazing Artists, are being used as my case study. Frida Kahlo started painting in hospital and says she never gave painting a thought, she just started. So why do artists paint in that art form, why do they paint their identity, things that portray them or have something to do with them. Frida created 200 drawings, sketches relating to her physical and emotional pain and her turbulent relationship with Diego. Is she just trying to show her pain to the world, does it make her feel better to get it out of her system, why doe artists paint in this art form?

• Answer:

  BeezKneez gave a very good response. I've been in art for 45 years, and I've never heard the term "Identity Art". Self-portrait or psychological self-portrait, yes. Different artists paint self-portraits for different reasons. Some, because it's less expensive than hiring models, some to make a documented record of their appearance on a regular basis, some because at the moment they are seeing their reflection some quality there of light color or form catches their eye and they feel compelled to paint it. Some paint self-portraits because there is something within themselves that is bursting out of their emotions and there simply is no other way for them to express it to a world that can't get inside their head otherwise. But these are all, in and of themselves, shallow explainations. When you are an artist and you are painting, and you are painting an image of yourself, there is an intensity that takes you out of yourself and gives you a profound psychological satisfaction, gratification, release, catharsis--what ever you want to call it. It's a feeling not unlike listening to your most favorite piece of music of your whole life (only usually in a room that is very quiet). What Van Gogh or Frida experienced, no one can trully say. You should try it sometime, it might clue you in.