Stående halvakt 1919 - 1924

Edvard Munch made this watercolour, "Stående halvakt," at some point in his career, and it gives you the feeling that he wasn't so concerned with the end result, but more with the act of painting itself. The colours are so fluid, bleeding and merging together, forming a figure that seems to be emerging from the paper. You can almost feel the wetness of the watercolour as it's applied, thinly in some areas and more saturated in others. Look at the way the brown bleeds out from her mid section, almost like the painting is unfinished, an experiment in form. It’s like he’s showing us his working, his thinking, through the visible process. It reminds me of some of the early sketches by Picasso, where the artist is exploring a form or idea. With Munch, the beauty isn’t in perfection or accuracy, but in the raw, honest expression of a feeling or idea. Art isn't about providing answers, but about asking questions, opening up possibilities, and embracing ambiguity.