Vignetten 1907

Edvard Munch made these vignettes, or small drawings, which look like they're made with ink, and maybe even cut as woodblocks. I imagine Munch carving into the wood with focused intensity. Each shape a little world of its own! There's something so playful about these groupings of figures and faces, landscapes and symbols, the hand of the artist evident in every stroke. Look at the way he renders those faces. Some are melancholic, others almost grotesque. He's got a tight composition with all these little images on one surface. Like he's created a series of windows, each offering a glimpse into his world and the theater of his mind. It reminds me of other printmakers, of course - but there's also something very personal and kind of strange, like a diary in code. There's always been this continuous back-and-forth, an exchange, artists inspiring each other, across time. And Munch, he was definitely listening, talking back to art history with his own edgy voice.