plate no. 5978

Workers on Their Way Home

Edvard Munch, 1915

oil, canvasExpressionismsketch and studyfiguresworkersstreetbuildingscrowdhats

recreation guide

Edvard Munch’s *Workers on Their Way Home* (1915) is a work rooted in his Expressionist practice, where the primary goal is not the illusionistic imitation of nature but the expression of emotional states through symbolic forms. Munch was heavily influenced by artists like Gauguin and Van Gogh, who used color to convey emotion rather than realism (Source 6). The painting likely employs a palette designed to create strong visual tension and harmony through the use of complementary colors, a technique Munch studied to enhance the psychological impact of his subjects (Source 3, Source 8). As a sketch and study, the work may exhibit a looser, more immediate application of paint, reflecting Munch’s interest in capturing the 'vitality' of the medium rather than polished finish (Source 5).

estimated time

20-30 hours over 5-7 sessions

materials

6 items

steps

6 in sequence

materials

item	purpose	modern equivalent
Oil paints (artist grade)	Primary medium for the painting	—
Linseed oil	To mix with paint for 'fat over lean' layering and to adjust translucency	—
Mineral spirits or turpentine	To thin paint for initial layers and clean brushes; ensures leaner initial layers	—
Canvas	Support surface	—
Charcoal or thinned paint	For initial sketching of the composition onto the canvas	—
Palette knives and rags	For applying, scraping, and adjusting paint texture and form	—

preparation

surface prep

The canvas should be prepared traditionally. While Munch’s specific ground recipes are not detailed in the sources, standard oil painting practice involves a stable ground to prevent cracking. The sources note that the quality of the oil and proper layering ('fat over lean') are crucial for a stable paint film (Source 1).

underdrawing

Munch likely began by sketching the subject onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint, a traditional technique for oil painting (Source 1). Given his Expressionist style and the genre of 'sketch and study,' the underdrawing may be loose and expressive rather than rigidly detailed, serving as a guide for the emotional composition rather than a precise blueprint.

underpainting

An underpainting layer may have been applied using thinned paint (lean layer) to establish values and basic forms. This adheres to the 'fat over lean' rule, ensuring that subsequent layers with more oil content dry properly without cracking (Source 1).

color palette

Complementary pairs (e.g., Red-Green, Blue-Orange)

Standard oil pigments

Creating strong contrast and visual tension, consistent with Munch’s use of color to convey emotion (Source 3, Source 6)

Grayscale tones (Black/White/Gray)

Mixing complements or using neutral pigments

Balancing chromatic intensity and creating depth, as complementary colors cancel each other out to produce grayscale tones (Source 3)

Intense hues

Pure pigments

Expressing emotional vitality; Munch exaggerated natural phenomena to achieve effects not possible with natural light alone (Source 2, Source 5)

composition

Munch’s compositions often prioritize emotional resonance over realistic perspective. He was influenced by Gauguin’s rejection of realism, believing art should be 'human work and not an imitation of Nature' (Source 6). The composition likely uses color harmony principles, such as complementary or split-complementary schemes, to create aesthetically pleasing yet tense relationships between forms (Source 8). Specific details of the workers’ arrangement are not described in the sources, so the focus is on the general Expressionist approach to form and color.

step by step

underdrawing→underpainting→first pass→refining→finishing→varnishing

underdrawing

step 01
Sketch the basic forms of the workers and the background onto the canvas using charcoal or thinned paint.
Tip — Keep the lines loose to allow for expressive adjustments later.
Traditional oil painting sketching

underpainting

step 02
Apply a thin, lean layer of paint (mixed with more solvent than oil) to establish the overall value structure and color relationships.
Tip — Ensure this layer is dry before proceeding to prevent cracking.
Fat over lean

first pass

step 03
Begin applying thicker layers of paint, focusing on the main figures and background. Use complementary colors to create contrast and visual tension.
Tip — Place complementary colors next to each other to enhance their intensity (e.g., red beside green).
Complementary color contrast

refining

step 04
Adjust the color and texture using palette knives or rags. Munch often manipulated the paint to hold or conceal brushstrokes, enhancing expressive capacity.
Tip — Oil paint remains wet longer, allowing for changes in form and color. Use this time to refine the emotional impact.
Palette knife application

finishing

step 05
Add final details and ensure that each layer contains more oil than the previous one to maintain structural integrity.
Tip — Check for areas where the paint may be too lean, which could lead to cracking.
Fat over lean

varnishing

step 06
Once the painting is fully dry (up to two weeks), apply a varnish to protect the surface and unify the sheen.
Tip — Ensure the painting is completely dry to avoid trapping solvents.
Varnishing

critical techniques

Fat over lean

Each additional layer of paint should contain more oil than the layer below to allow proper drying and prevent cracking. This is a basic rule of oil paint application.

Complementary color contrast

Placing complementary colors next to each other creates strong contrast and visual tension, enhancing the emotional impact of the painting.

Expressive brushwork

Using palette knives and rags to manipulate the paint’s texture and form, allowing the artist to change the color, texture, or form of the figure.

common pitfalls

→Applying lean layers over fat layers, which can cause the paint to crack and peel (Source 1).
→Ignoring the drying time of oil paint, which dries by oxidation and can take up to two weeks to be dry to the touch (Source 1).
→Over-mixing colors, which can reduce their chroma and emotional intensity. Munch sought to exaggerate natural phenomena for expressive effect (Source 2).
→Focusing too much on realistic imitation rather than emotional expression, which contradicts Munch’s Expressionist goals (Source 6, Source 5).

what the sources don't tell us

Where the corpus is silent, we say so rather than guess. These are the gaps a complete recreation guide would normally cover that our source passages don't.

·Specific color palette used in *Workers on Their Way Home* is not detailed in the sources.
·Exact compositional layout of the workers is not described in the sources.
·Munch’s specific brushstroke patterns for this particular work are not documented in the provided passages.
·The specific type of canvas or ground used by Munch for this painting is not mentioned.

grounded in

The technical procedure in this guide traces to the following classical art-instruction texts.

The Practice and Science of Drawing↗
- XX MATERIALS — applied to Emphasis on expressing feeling through the medium rather than imitating nature
The Science of Painting↗
- 4. When two colours separated by more than two others — applied to Exaggerating natural phenomena for expressive effect

cross-referenced from

Named facts about this artwork and artist were checked against these reference pages.

Wikipedia: Oil painting↗
- Oil painting — part 2 — applied to Underdrawing, underpainting, fat over lean rule, drying time, and use of palette knives/rags
Wikipedia: Complementary colors↗
- Complementary colors — part 1 — applied to Use of complementary colors for contrast and tension
Wikipedia bio — Edvard Munch↗
- Paris — applied to Munch’s influence from Gauguin and Van Gogh, and his rejection of realism