Albert Kollmann 1902

Edvard Munch created this oil painting, Albert Kollmann, which is housed here at the Kunsthaus Zürich. The somber palette and indistinct brushstrokes render a figure that seems to emerge from and recede into the green backdrop. The composition is dominated by the subject’s dark suit and collared jacket, which contrast with the pale tones of his face. There's an interplay between visibility and concealment in the way Munch handles the paint. The blurred edges of the form and the textured application of pigment across the canvas can be understood through the lens of existentialist thought. The use of dark tones challenges traditional portraiture by creating a sense of alienation and the ambiguity of existence. Consider how the formal qualities of Munch's work engage with broader philosophical questions about human identity, visibility, and being. The aesthetic experience is thus linked to existential questioning and subjective interpretation.