Christen Sandberg 1909

Curator: Up next, we have Edvard Munch's 1909 portrait of Christen Sandberg, currently residing at the Munch Museum in Oslo. Painted with oils, this is one formidable presence! Editor: My first thought? He looks like he’s about to burst into song, like a jovial opera singer. I see power, prosperity…but also, a bit of melancholic introspection lurking behind that beard. It’s quite a commanding image. Curator: It certainly is! Munch, though famed for expressing the angst and anxieties of modern life, portrays Sandberg here as someone possessing a deep-seated sense of confidence and established comfort, someone rather anchored in reality. I suppose there's a great sense of inner calm, almost... contentment? Editor: His positioning, dominating almost the full vertical, communicates success in the tangible world – but that green tie, ever so slightly undone, hinting at non-conformity, like maybe, he wanted to be a poet. I see symbols of material security clashing with yearning for a different sort of legacy. A very expressive choice, wouldn't you say? Curator: Precisely, I think that conflict in symbology makes the whole portrait sing. Look at the background, almost an anonymous and sterile architectural surrounding – the bare minimum, the setting itself barely discernible. He wanted to be somewhere different? Editor: The setting is a blank canvas that emphasizes him. The heavy application of paint, even in a portrait, is charged with intense emotions, the weight of ambition, maybe a stifled sigh escaping the soul! There's such vibrancy underneath what one would assume to be a more traditional representation. Curator: So, here's a snapshot of Sandberg, in this brief conversation, a reminder that even in portraits that exude power, a person may find those complex internal worlds churning, simmering beneath the surface, not so dissimilar from the way our old friend Munch felt most of his life. Editor: Definitely. Symbols can be read a million ways and so a portrait is but an angle on our selves. Now, I am tempted to learn more about what really churned underneath Mr. Sandberg. I'll research that for sure.