Holger Drachmann 1994

This is Edvard Munch’s portrait of Holger Drachmann, made using lithography. It’s all about these wandering, searching lines, right? They remind me that making art is a process of trying to pin something down, but maybe never quite succeeding, thank goodness. The texture is built from these quick, dark strokes, and you can almost feel Munch’s hand moving across the stone. Look at the way he renders the beard and mustache – it’s like he's mapping the contours of Drachmann's face with this web of ink. Notice how the lines surrounding the head almost look like smoke or maybe thoughts swirling around. The tie area is fascinating, isn't it? The lines are so dense and looping, which gives the work a strange sense of movement and energy. Thinking about other artists, this makes me think about Whistler. There's a similar interest in capturing a likeness but also in exploring the possibilities of the medium itself. For Munch, like Whistler, art isn't about perfect representation; it's about capturing something more elusive and ambiguous.