Kilden 1910

Edvard Munch made Kilden with watercolor and pencil and you can see the way the figures have emerged into being through light washes, and erasures. It looks like the mountain face is a kind of backdrop for the activities in the foreground. The standing figure looks like they are listening to the sounds of the waterfall; maybe they are in torment. There is something about the loose lines and layering of color that is so appealing, like he is letting the place speak for itself. You can sense Munch’s struggle with the medium – the way he is coaxing and prompting the image to come into being. The layering of colors and shifting shapes creates an ambiguity that I find really attractive. It’s like he’s saying painting is about listening, and trying to find a form that can match the feeling. And the best part is that another artist will look at this and take it in their own direction, like a conversation between friends.