Nude Couple on the Beach 1910 - 1916

Edvard Munch painted "Nude Couple on the Beach" with oils, and what strikes me first is his mark making. It’s all about speed and gesture. He's not trying to copy what he sees, but to capture a feeling, a vibe. Look at the way he’s built up the bodies with these scratchy, broken lines. It’s almost like he’s carving them out of the canvas. The colours are so light and airy, but he also uses these pops of colour that jolt you into awareness. This creates a sense of vulnerability. He doesn’t hide the process at all. And then there's that vertical vase shape between the figures. Is it just a trick of the light? Munch keeps the mystery alive. He doesn’t tell us what to think. He lets the painting breathe, and it invites us to do the same. Munch reminds me a bit of Francis Bacon, in the way he distorts the human form to express something deeper, something raw and maybe even a little bit scary.