Portrait of Ernest Thiel 1907

This portrait of Ernest Thiel by Edvard Munch is like a fleeting encounter, sketched with dark blues, blacks and earth tones. You can almost see Munch circling the canvas, swiping at it, trying to capture not just Thiel’s likeness but his essence. Look at the way Munch uses those quick, decisive strokes to define Thiel's suit, the dark paint almost dripping down the canvas. It reminds me of Francis Bacon, that urgency and vulnerability. I bet he was trying to get a sense of Ernest’s character, painting and repainting trying to find the man within. And those ghostly limbs! Thiel stands before us, unfinished, caught between worlds. It’s like Munch is saying, “Here’s what I know, and here’s what remains a mystery.” I feel like painting is a way of embodying that constant state of questioning and seeking, and seeing where it goes.