Macbeth og heksene 1908

This tiny etching, *Macbeth og heksene*, was made by Oluf Hartmann sometime before 1910. Look at these gray lines. They create the figures of the witches by being scratched onto the plate. Just imagine the artist, bending over the plate, and creating a network of precise cuts. I can imagine him thinking of Goya’s witches, as well as other Symbolist artists who dealt with the occult. Hartmann scratches the surface to create shadows that evoke a feeling of mystery and foreboding, almost as if he’s trying to conjure a space for the unknown. I wonder if he was interested in the process of printmaking as a kind of alchemy, capable of transforming base materials into something magical. By using this method, Hartmann opens a space of imagination around Shakespeare's play. He leaves a lot to the imagination of the viewer, who is invited to envision the scene. Artists don’t work in a vacuum; they are always referencing and responding to each other’s visions across time.