Boys Bathing 1896

Curator: This is Edvard Munch's "Boys Bathing," currently residing at the Harvard Art Museums. Look closely at the lithographic techniques. Editor: It feels like a hazy memory, doesn’t it? That deep blue, the almost ghostly figures. Curator: Yes, the process allows for that ethereal quality. Consider the paper itself, the labor involved in creating the lithographic stone. Munch really challenged the boundaries of printmaking. Editor: I see them suspended between childhood and something else. It's beautiful, yet melancholy...almost as if they’re fading away. Curator: Indeed. The material choices support that reading. Munch’s focus on this medium allows for exploration beyond just pictorial representation. Editor: Makes you wonder what he was feeling when he made this. It certainly brings up a few feelings of my own. Curator: A poignant reminder of the connections between process, emotion, and the story of labor itself.