Bathing Man 1918

Edvard Munch made "Bathing Man" with oil on canvas, and what grabs me is how present Munch is in every stroke. It's like he's wrestling with the paint, trying to pin down a feeling rather than just describing a scene. Look at how the water swirls around the bather's legs, those thick, juicy blues and greens laid down with a brush that's not messing around. You can practically feel the chill of the water, the way it tugs and pulls. And the man himself, he's not some idealized figure, he's got weight, a realness that's almost confrontational. It’s the kind of painting that throws open the doors of perception, making you question what you're seeing and feeling. I see echoes of someone like Emil Nolde in Munch's willingness to let the paint have its say, to embrace the messiness of expression. Art isn’t about answers, but about creating a space where questions can be asked, and where feelings can find their form.