Self-Portrait in Hell 1903

Edvard Munch made this self-portrait in oil paint, and I’m guessing he was feeling a bit like he was in hell. Look at the frantic brushstrokes, especially in the background, all fiery oranges and reds, like the whole world is ablaze. There's a stark contrast with the figure in the foreground—perhaps Munch himself—rendered in sickly yellows and greens, as if he's been drained of all life. That spectral figure looming behind him? Is that supposed to be the devil, or just the weight of his own demons? I wonder what it was like for Munch, wrestling with these inner torments, trying to capture them on canvas. You can almost feel the heat of the flames, the despair in the air. And then the way he's rendered his own body, all vulnerable and exposed—it's like he's laying bare his soul for us to see. It’s a stark reminder that artists like Munch don’t just paint pretty pictures; they show us what it means to be human, with all its pain and beauty.