The Fairytale Forest 1901

Edvard Munch made 'The Fairytale Forest' with oil on canvas using short brushstrokes, building up layers of colour. The scene shimmers with a delicate light, those towering trees, the little figures with their backs turned. I get the sense that Munch probably worked quickly, capturing the light and mood of the moment. Look at those brushstrokes; each one feels like a small, deliberate mark, adding to the overall texture and feeling of the painting. I wonder if he stood there with them and sketched for a while, maybe thinking about his own childhood. The materiality of the paint is evident, with thin layers creating a sense of transparency. The painting makes me think of the way children's minds work, the way imagination can turn the everyday into something magical. Munch knew that too.