Edvard Munch - Garden in Taarbaek 1905

Edvard Munch made this painting, Garden in Taarbaek, with oil on canvas. It's a riot of greens, reds, and whites, laid down with a loose, almost impatient brush. You can see the process right there on the canvas, each stroke a little burst of energy. The pink of the wall in the foreground really grabs me. It’s not a sweet, gentle pink; it’s got some grit to it, mixed with white and maybe a touch of red, reflecting the light, but still somehow melancholic. And then there are these dark shadows and stark vertical lines breaking it up that suggest an almost oppressive feeling, so it’s not all roses, right? The brushwork around the trees is so gestural, it’s like he’s trying to capture not just what he sees, but how he *feels* about what he sees. Looking at this, I am reminded of Van Gogh, another artist who wasn’t afraid to lay his emotions bare on the canvas. Both of them teach us that art isn’t just about representation, it’s about a conversation, an emotional exchange, and embracing those messy, ambiguous feelings that make us human.