Dædalus og Ikarus 1905

Editor: We’re looking at "Daedalus and Icarus" by Oluf Hartmann, made in 1905. It's an engraving and aquatint print. It feels very stark and tragic. What social and cultural narratives do you think Hartmann is playing with here? Curator: It's interesting you pick up on that starkness. Consider the Symbolist movement Hartmann aligned with, and its relationship to prevailing cultural anxieties around industrialization and modernity. Mythological subjects provided a space to explore anxieties through metaphor. This image seems less a heroic tale, more a bleak commentary. What do you see in the composition that makes it tragic? Editor: I think it's the averted gaze and the oppressive darkness, it almost swallows them. The vulnerability of the nudes enhances that too. Does the choice of a printmaking medium influence how we read the imagery? Curator: Absolutely. Printmaking allowed for wider dissemination, meaning these anxieties and reflections on myth could reach a larger audience. Also, think about the tradition of printmaking as a more democratic art form, capable of social commentary. Consider, for instance, how this image contrasts with idealized, academic depictions of classical myth. Is it a challenge to the traditional authority or use of these myths? Editor: That’s a great point. It definitely feels like a reinterpretation rather than a simple retelling of the myth, almost like he’s subverting a heroic narrative to expose a deeper sense of vulnerability. Curator: Precisely! He presents the story as a human failure, and the figures are far from ideal. It encourages us to examine the established interpretations and understand what Hartmann wanted to reveal about humanity, progress and society. Editor: I’ve always thought of Icarus' fall as a cautionary tale about hubris. Now I'm thinking more about what it says about artistic expression itself and its potentially destructive consequences when faced with a rapidly changing world. Thanks, that was fascinating. Curator: My pleasure. I think we both can reflect on the power of context, the influence of the medium, and the enduring resonance of mythology within cultural movements.