Self-Portrait with Hand under Cheek 1911

This is "Self-Portrait with Hand under Cheek" by Edvard Munch, painted with oils, and it's currently housed in the Munch Museum in Oslo. There's a vulnerability here, right? It's in the way Munch captures himself, a rawness in the brushstrokes. Look at the face; it's not smoothed over or idealized. You can see the paint, the actual physical stuff of the portrait, and it's kind of like he's laying himself bare. The colors, they're not shouting, but they're definitely talking. A muted palette, mostly, but then you see these touches of, like, bruised purples and sickly yellows. It gives the whole thing this unsettled feeling. There's a section to the right of his neck that is almost green, but also reminiscent of a bruise. I’m not sure what to make of it. Munch’s work reminds me of Paula Modersohn-Becker, who also bared her soul in self-portraits. It’s like they're both showing us that art isn't about perfection; it’s about the messy, complicated reality of being human.