Naked Men in Swimming Pool 1923

Edvard Munch made this painting of naked men in a swimming pool with oil on canvas, but when? There's a real sense of process here, isn't there? Look at the way the paint has been applied, almost scrubbing at the surface. The color palette feels restricted, close in tone, but within that, there are surprising variations. See how the ochres and yellows mix with blues and reds. I'm drawn to the way he's handled the figures. They're not idealized or heroic, there's a vulnerability, a palpable sense of awkwardness. It's like he’s trying to capture a feeling as much as a likeness. Notice the bodies reflected in the water, how the brushstrokes become looser and more gestural, almost dissolving into abstraction. It reminds me of Ensor or maybe Beckmann, that same willingness to embrace ugliness. Ultimately, this is a painting that embraces ambiguity, that doesn't offer easy answers. I love that.