Studier til "Macbeth og heksene" (?) 1879 - 1910

Oluf Hartmann made these Studies for "Macbeth and the Witches" using graphite on paper, sometime around the turn of the twentieth century. The immediacy of the graphite medium is palpable here, chosen for its accessibility and speed, reflecting the artist's rapid capture of fleeting ideas. Graphite, a humble material, allows for expressive mark-making, evident in the frenetic lines and blurred forms of the figures. These are more like notations than fully realized forms. The use of paper as a substrate emphasizes the work's status as preliminary—paper being an inexpensive, utilitarian material suitable for experimentation. The artist’s hand is clearly visible in the dynamic strokes. This raw, gestural approach is very different to the traditional, careful, and academic methods of drawing that were the norm at the time. Hartmann likely viewed this study as a means to an end, rather than an end in itself, showing a clear divergence from the preciousness often associated with fine art. It is a crucial reminder that every artwork involves a multitude of decisions, concerning not only composition but also materials and the methods of production.