L'haie de cloche 1972

Sheigla Hartman made L'haie de cloche using a printmaking technique that emphasizes line and texture. It feels like she’s building up the image from scratch. Looking closely, you can see how the horizontal lines in the background contrast with the sharp, vertical lines of the trees. This tension between the foreground and background creates an interesting push and pull, a kind of visual rhythm. You can almost feel the artist's hand moving across the surface, making each mark with care and intention. The texture is subtle but rich, inviting you to run your fingers over it – even though you can’t. I love that the way that it looks almost like the negative of a photograph, the tonal inversions allow your eyes to skip and jump around the surface of the print. Hartman's work reminds me of Agnes Martin's delicate line drawings, both artists using simple gestures to create complex and evocative images. It's a reminder that art doesn't always have to be loud or bombastic to be powerful. Sometimes, the quietest voices speak the loudest.