Old Man in Warnemunde 1907

Edvard Munch painted this smallish, vertical painting of an old man with oils on canvas. See how the colours swim and bleed? Blues, purples, reds and greens. Notice how the colours are so intense that they begin to evoke feeling. I can imagine the experience of being Munch at work, layering and blending until he captures a sense of place. Maybe a little drunk? A little melancholic? Munch’s brushwork is so loose, so free. It feels almost improvisational, as if he’s trying to capture a fleeting impression. I find myself focusing on the way he renders the figure's face – almost obscured by beard and hat, yet still so present. It reminds me of late works by other painters such as Bonnard or Guston. Painters are always having a dialogue with each other and across time, aren’t they? Each mark, each stroke, is like a response to something that came before, a question asked, or an answer given in the ongoing conversation of art.