Rosa Meissner 1907

Edvard Munch made this painting of Rosa Meissner, with oil on canvas, and the way he lays down those strokes, it’s all about the process, isn’t it? He's not trying to hide anything. Look at the skin tones – pinks, yellows, even a touch of green. It's like he's mapping the emotional weather onto her face. I love the way the background feels like it's breathing, those soft, vertical brushstrokes almost like a curtain, but one that’s part of her. And then that dark, almost brooding purple of her jacket, which contrasts so vividly with the bright palette used for her face and the background. Take a look at her eyes; they're not just blue, but these intense pools that draw you in. Munch isn't just showing us what she looks like, he's hinting at her inner world. Thinking about another artist, I’m reminded of Van Gogh, that same intensity of feeling, that urgent need to get something down on canvas, and to embrace all the uncertainties of paint.