Arthur Hartmann 1907

Max Klein made this plaster relief of Arthur Hartmann, but we don’t know when. I can imagine Klein in his studio, the light catching the dust motes, the smell of wet plaster in the air. He’s working, adding layer upon layer, building up Hartmann’s features with careful, deliberate strokes. It’s incredible how much personality Klein captures with so little. Hartmann’s profile is strong, noble even. Look at the way the light plays across his brow, the set of his jaw. The plaster is thick here, giving weight and substance to his presence. There's a vulnerability in the curl of the hair by his ear. You can almost see Klein’s hands at work, shaping and molding with a sensitive touch. It reminds you that artists, like Klein, are always in conversation with one another across time. It is an embodied expression which embraces ambiguity and uncertainty, allowing for multiple interpretations.