Macbeth og heksene 1908

Oluf Hartmann made this etching, Macbeth og heksene, and, oh boy, does it have atmosphere. It’s all silvery grays and blacks, creating a real sense of drama and foreboding. I can just imagine Hartmann hunched over his plate, carefully layering those lines to conjure up this scene. Look at the way the figures emerge from the shadows, kind of ghostly, with a strong focus on light and dark. This is not just a picture; it’s a mood! The artist is so young, so he's probably thinking about other artists too, and especially the old masters like Rembrandt and Goya, who knew a thing or two about using light to amp up the drama. It makes you wonder what it was like to be him, working at the turn of the century. I think he may have been inspired by their work, but he definitely brought his own vibe to it. It's like he’s whispering a secret about the human condition.