Spring Day on Karl Johan Street 1890

Editor: Here we have Edvard Munch’s "Spring Day on Karl Johan Street," painted in 1890. It’s an oil painting showing a bustling street scene. What strikes me is how the people almost seem like automatons, faceless and moving as a single mass. What do you make of this piece? Curator: I'm drawn to the way Munch depicts modern life through the materiality of paint itself. Consider the brushstrokes – they aren't blended to create a smooth illusion of reality, but rather exist as distinct marks. How does that influence your understanding of the 'automatons' you mentioned? Are they truly lifeless, or is something else at play in how they are portrayed through the labor of paint application? Editor: That's a really interesting way to look at it. So, you’re saying that the choppiness, the visible effort in the making, could reflect a sense of alienation tied to the Industrial Age? It is almost like you can feel the making and the man in it more than the crowd itself. Curator: Precisely. It challenges the Romantic ideal of nature and untamed wildness that the pre-industrial era held as divine. Also, think about where he's situated and what that represents; Karl Johan Street was the main artery of Oslo, filled with displays of wealth and social aspirations. This invites the viewer to ask if it isn't necessarily just about automatons, but whether that collective material consumption transforms individuality itself. Do you feel this reflected his time period and Norwegian culture? Editor: Definitely, I didn’t see that originally, but looking closer now, it makes me consider this work in its historical moment. Thank you! Curator: My pleasure, I learned too by discussing the subject through your observations!