Mrs. Marie Linde 1902

Edvard Munch made this portrait of Mrs. Marie Linde with graphite on paper. The first thing you notice is the subtlety of the drawing, right? It’s so light, almost like a whisper on the page. I’m imagining Munch, leaning in close, carefully mapping out her features with these delicate lines. What was he thinking, as he traced the contours of her face? Was he trying to capture her essence, or just her likeness? It is a study in quiet observation. The texture of the paper, the way the graphite catches the light… It's almost like you can feel the artist's hand moving across the surface. Those lines around her eyes—they tell a story, don’t they? And the way he’s rendered her hair, with these soft, flowing strokes. He is known for his more bold, expressionist paintings, so this piece gives us a glimpse into a different side of his practice. It reminds me how artists are always in conversation with each other, picking up on ideas, pushing boundaries. Painting embraces ambiguity. There’s no one right way to see it, and that’s what makes it so exciting.