The Sower 1912 - 1913

Edvard Munch's 'The Sower' is rendered with oil paint, a medium that allows for rich color and expressive brushwork. Looking closely, you can see the thick application of the paint, almost sculptural in places. This impasto technique gives the surface a tactile quality, emphasizing the physical act of painting. The way Munch has used oil paint here, is evocative. You can see that his process is about capturing a feeling, a psychological state, as much as depicting a figure. Notice the palette of blues, purples, greens and pinks. Munch isn't going for realism here. Instead he's choosing colors that evoke a mood. There is a sense of movement and energy, reflecting the labor and the physicality of sowing. By focusing on the materiality and the process, we can move beyond a simple interpretation of the subject, and understand the deeper emotional and social content of the work. Munch elevates the everyday act of farming to something monumental. He blurs the lines between fine art and the traditions of craft.