The Sick Child 1886

Edvard Munch painted *The Sick Child* using oil on canvas, a traditional medium, but he treated it in a way that defied convention. The painting is heavy with texture; it looks as though Munch scrubbed the paint onto the canvas, layering and scraping back to reveal underlying colors. This approach gives the image an almost palpable sense of suffering, mirroring the raw emotion of the scene. Look at how the visible brushstrokes create a sense of unease and agitation. The rough handling of the paint reflects the turmoil of illness and grief, a stark contrast to the smooth, idealized surfaces often found in academic painting. Munch's commitment to conveying feeling through material manipulation challenges the traditional hierarchy of art, where skill was often prioritized over emotional expression. It is through his attention to the materiality of paint that the artist amplifies the painting's emotional impact.