Macbeth V (The Vision of Lady Macbeth) 1918

This is Wilhelm Lehmbruck's, 'Macbeth V (The Vision of Lady Macbeth)'. It's an etching, so it would have been built up through layers of mark-making. You know, pressing a plate into paper, wiping away ink, each line a little thought, a feeling, repeated and repeated... Looking at this work, I feel a kind of dark sympathy for Lehmbruck. What was he thinking when he made it? What was he feeling? The cross hatching creates depth, a kind of tunnel that sucks you into the drama. But the figures are so elongated and grief-stricken – it’s almost gothic. Think of the work of Käthe Kollwitz, another German artist who wrestled with the human figure and social issues. This piece reminds us that artists are always in conversation with each other, across time. They respond to the world around them with incredible emotion and intellect. So, how does it make you feel?