Girls watering Flowers 1904

Edvard Munch made this painting of girls watering flowers with oil on canvas. It's not about perfect realism, but something more internal, more felt. Look at how Munch handles the paint. It's not about hiding the brushstrokes; they're out there, visible and full of life. The colors are bold, the reds of the girls' shirts, and the greens that create this whole world where everything merges. The way the blue water can looks like it's emerging from the canvas. I keep coming back to the lower center where there is a looping pink form, maybe its a flower or some kind of abstract emotional presence. It is a reminder of the way feelings and forms are intertwined in art. Munch reminds me a bit of Paula Modersohn-Becker, in the way he uses colors and texture. Both artists use the visible trace of the hand to speak to something deeper.