Shakespeare/Sommernachtstraum 1964

Imre Reiner, a Swiss artist, made this print inspired by Shakespeare’s 'A Midsummer Night’s Dream'. Look at the raw, scratchy lines defining the figures, so immediate, like the artist was wrestling with the image, pulling it from the ether. I imagine him, totally absorbed, working and reworking the plate, maybe with a drypoint needle, biting into the metal, building up this scene of lovers. The textures create such an interesting tension with the crisp lines of the figures, don’t they? See how they’re almost floating, caught in this web of emotion and drama. I can imagine Reiner really thinking about how to capture the essence of the play. These two quotes are taken from the script, and the couple almost seem to be exchanging these lines with one another. By layering in these textual elements, he invites us to play with multiple readings, seeing the characters both in relation and in conflict. That's what I love about printmaking – this conversation across time, artists riffing off each other, inspiring new ways of seeing and feeling.