Red Rocks by Åsgårdstrand 1904

Edvard Munch made this painting of ‘Red Rocks by Åsgårdstrand’ with oil on canvas. Just imagine the act of painting itself. How the artwork came into being, shifting and emerging through trial, error, and intuition? I sympathize with Munch, imagining what it might have been like to stand on that beach, painting. What might he have been thinking when he made it? Did he mix the pink himself or did it come from the tube? I find that I often wonder what colors artists mix, which brand they prefer. The paint is buttery but loose. See the way the colors flow into one another? It's not quite blended; you can see the individual strokes and hues mixing optically. That brushwork is the real subject here, each gesture communicating a feeling, an intention, a meaning. Munch’s work is a conversation between a painter and the world, echoing across time.