Naked Figures 1924 - 1929

Edvard Munch made this painting with thin washes of pale color and delicate yet decisive marks. Looking at these spectral figures emerging from a cool ground, I wonder what Munch was thinking. What brought him to these forms? Was he thinking of relationships, of the body, of states of mind? You can feel his searching. The marks are tentative but certain at the same time. It feels like these figures appear as he's painting them, or maybe they're fading away. They are connected by the blue outlines, but they also drift apart. They are not quite there, which, for me, adds to their poignancy. Painters are in an ongoing conversation, an exchange of ideas across time, inspiring one another’s creativity. This painting really embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations, which is what keeps me coming back.