Jens Thiis 1909

Edvard Munch made this portrait of Jens Thiis, probably with oils, judging by those slippery, sliding dark strokes against the pale ground. I can imagine Munch working on this, attacking the canvas with loaded brushes, wiping away, starting over, trying to capture something of the man in front of him, not just his likeness but his presence, his weight in the world. There is a real sense of dialogue between these two. Look at the way he’s rendered the shadow, as if he’s painting the space around Thiis, or maybe even a premonition or a memory. It reminds me a little of Francis Bacon and how he painted his figures trapped in aspic. Perhaps Munch saw something of himself in Thiis, or vice versa. It’s like they're locked in conversation, across time, across canvases. Isn't that the great thing about painting? It’s an invitation to participate, to bring your own feelings and experiences to the mix, to keep the conversation flowing.