Two Women on the Shore (Frauen am Meeresufer) c. 1920s

Edvard Munch made this print, Two Women on the Shore, using colour woodcut. The marks are simple but bold, creating a mood of introspection. You can imagine Munch working on the woodblock, carving out the shapes, inking them up, and pressing the paper to create this image. It's a hands-on process, full of trial and error and, of course, intuition. What was he thinking when he made this? Maybe he was exploring themes of love and loss, life and death. The texture and the layering of colours give the print an emotional depth. It is like an echo of feelings. The flowing lines of the women’s dresses contrast with the solid dark shape on the left. I wonder if this figure is the shadow self? Or perhaps a premonition? Munch’s work reminds me of Paula Modersohn-Becker's. She was another artist exploring similar themes of emotion and the human condition. It is as though these artists are in conversation across time. They are inspiring each other's creativity and opening up new ways of seeing and experiencing the world.