High Summer II 1915

Edvard Munch created "High Summer II", using oil on canvas, a work held in the Munch Museum in Oslo. Your gaze may be drawn to the arrangement of figures along the shoreline. A striking use of color, particularly the interplay between warm pinks and yellows and the cool blues of the water and distant land, evokes a feeling of warmth. The composition invites us to consider the relationship between figure and ground. Munch's application of paint, with visible brushstrokes, emphasizes the materiality of the work, drawing attention to its construction. This materiality contributes to the painting's expressive power. In "High Summer II," the subject is less a literal depiction of a summer scene and more a study in form and emotion. It is through these formal choices that the painting achieves its enduring impact, sparking reflection on art's capacity to capture both external realities and internal states.