Kiss on the Beach 1921

Edvard Munch created this painting, Kiss on the Beach, with oil paints and a brush. Looking at it, I immediately think about artmaking as a process, particularly the way mark-making can shape the feeling of a painting. The physicality of the medium is really important here. Munch uses thin, transparent paint to create a sense of depth, especially in the sky and sea. The way he's built up layers of color allows light to pass through them, giving the painting a subtle glow. If you look closely at the embrace of the couple, you’ll notice how these figures become almost abstract forms, their identities blurred, their unity emphasized. It’s interesting to consider Munch’s work alongside someone like Francis Bacon, who also explored themes of existential angst and the human condition. But where Bacon’s paintings are often raw and visceral, Munch brings a kind of dreamy, melancholic beauty to his subjects. For me, this is what makes art so compelling—the endless possibilities for expression, and the ways in which artists can transform paint into something deeply meaningful.