Det syke øye 1930

Curator: My immediate reaction is that these floating orbs remind me of planets... but melancholic ones. Editor: I can see that. Well, let’s orient our listeners. What we're looking at is Edvard Munch's watercolor and drawing piece, "The Sick Eye," created around 1930. The artwork shows six vaguely circular forms spread across what seems to be paper. Curator: Paper and watercolor— such fragile materials. Do you think it suggests a sort of vulnerability of sight itself? These swirling masses don't really seem representational, more like… abstractions of how it feels to perceive the world when ill. Editor: I think so. Notice how in some of the orbs, there appears an inner "empty" core surrounded by colors such as blue and violet— but in others, the entire area seems to pulsate with darker shades. There's an imbalance here. Curator: True! The variation in the density of pigment must tell something about Munch's approach, or even, about his psychological state while producing the drawing... The one at the bottom in the middle is almost entirely pale except for the small drawing of the bird... almost ethereal. Editor: I find that particularly striking too. It really speaks to how even in times of illness, moments of clarity, or perhaps beauty, manage to push through. The inclusion of a recognizable shape such as the bird within the nebulousness may be intentional. It might be about a longing to see the world in clarity or the simple moments when one is more connected with the natural world. Curator: Interesting how a medium usually employed for lightness takes on such a weight, it's not at all airy. It truly captures a bodily sense. Editor: It shows the range of how this artistic means might communicate varied themes. I come away understanding better how an expressionist such as Munch wasn't just reflecting an inner emotional turmoil, but deeply considering the tools at his disposal in production. Curator: Well, my perception of Munch and watercolors won’t be the same from now on... it all flows a bit differently for me, you know?