The pet pig 1908 - 1910

Edvard Munch made this ink drawing on paper, depicting a group of women with a pet pig. Munch used thinned ink to convey a sense of the scene, with quickly applied brushstrokes and gestural lines. The ink bleeds slightly into the paper, creating a textured and blurred effect. Munch applied the ink in quick, confident strokes, using the fluidity of the medium to capture the essence of each figure. There is no attempt to fill the forms, or to create the illusion of depth and volume. We might associate the free-flowing quality of ink drawing with Eastern traditions of brush painting, where spontaneity and intuitive mark-making are highly valued. In a capitalist economy, where time is money, the speed and efficiency of production often take precedence. The apparent spontaneity of the image seems to resist this pressure, suggesting a creative process that values individual expression over mass production, challenging the perceived hierarchies between fine art and craft.