Galloping Horse 1915

Edvard Munch made this print, Galloping Horse, with etching on paper. Isn't it amazing how a few lines can convey so much motion and emotion? Munch uses this scratchy mark making to create a world that feels both dreamlike and unsettling. Look at the horse's mane; it's almost like a storm cloud gathering, mirroring the chaos of the lines around it. You can almost feel the energy of the horse charging forward and the expressions on the faces of the people around it. It reminds me of some of the German Expressionist prints and paintings from around the same time. Artists like Kirchner and Heckel were also exploring these themes of anxiety and modernity using a similar kind of raw, unfiltered mark making. Ultimately, the beauty of a piece like this lies in its ability to evoke questions rather than provide easy answers.