Workers on their Way Home 1914

Edvard Munch made "Workers on their Way Home" with oil on canvas and a whole lot of blue. You can almost feel the weight of the day in their slouching shoulders, the way the blue seems to press down on them. Look at that rhythmic brushwork, the way he’s built up the road with these semi-circular marks like waves, like the weight of water. I imagine Munch outside, maybe shivering in the cold, trying to capture the feeling of collective exhaustion. The colors feel like they're pulled from his soul. You can see him grappling with something profound. I keep thinking about Van Gogh and how these guys are trudging home from their shift. The painterly quality is a reminder that artists are always talking to one another across time. The act of painting is itself a way of seeing and feeling, always open to new possibilities and interpretations.