Omega's Eyes 1908 - 1909

Edvard Munch made this lithograph called 'Omega's Eyes' on paper using crayon. The thing that grabs me here is the directness, the almost childlike simplicity of the lines. You can see the artist thinking through the image, line by line, as they build the form. Look at the hair, the way he suggests volume with just a few marks. It’s raw, immediate, and that’s part of its power. The surface of the paper is so present too, it's almost as important as the lines themselves. The grain of the paper seems to soften the image, but the stark black lines cut through the softness to give her eyes an intense sense of focus. The title suggests something about looking, being looked at, but maybe also about seeing something beyond the surface. Munch, like other artists such as Paula Rego, often embraces ambiguity, inviting multiple readings rather than offering fixed answers.