African with Green Scarf 1916

Edvard Munch made this painting of an African man with a green scarf, probably in the early 20th century, and it's all about process, right? I love how the paint is just dragged across the surface, not fussed over. You can see the individual brushstrokes, especially in that juicy green scarf. Thick and thin, transparent and opaque, all at once. It's like Munch is saying, "Here's the paint, here's the color, deal with it!" Check out the way he's built up the face with these kind of nervous, searching strokes of blue and red. It's not about perfect representation; it's about capturing a feeling, an energy. It reminds me a bit of Van Gogh’s portraits, that same intensity and willingness to let the paint do its thing. With the overall impression of this picture, it’s more about a conversation, a kind of pushing and pulling, with no definitive meaning.