The Fisherman 1902

Here we have 'The Fisherman', an oil painting by Edvard Munch, although it's not dated, but it’s now in the Munch Museum in Oslo. Munch's marks are raw, like the fisherman himself, and the green and yellow palette is like a memory of a summer that's already fading. The fisherman's form emerges from a blend of ochre and salmon pink hues. The paint isn't trying to hide itself, instead Munch uses thin layers, allowing the texture of the canvas to come through. Look closely, and you can see the way he's scrubbed the paint into the canvas, especially around the fisherman's outline. See how that technique almost blurs the figure into the background? The shadows under the fisherman's trousers are a darker green, forming a pool of colour. It almost feels like he’s casting a shadow on the idyllic scene that should be behind him. The rawness reminds me of Van Gogh, especially in the way the emotion is laid bare. With Munch, it’s less about what you see, and more about what you feel.