Folk Scene: Devil, Christ, Man, Woman, and Animals in a Landscape 1937

Gustav Hagemann made this etching, Folk Scene: Devil, Christ, Man, Woman, and Animals in a Landscape, at an unknown date with simple lines that create a whole world. You can almost feel the hand moving across the plate, scratching out this folk tale, a story that seems both familiar and dreamlike. I love how Hagemann's mark-making feels both intentional and accidental. The lines are thin and delicate, but they also have a roughness, like he was digging into the metal, letting the story come out. Look at the sun’s face, it seems to watch over the whole scene with a quiet knowing. And the figures themselves, they're not perfect, but they have this incredible presence, full of life. It reminds me a bit of Hilma af Klint's work, not in style, but in the way that Hagemann seems to be channeling something beyond himself. It’s like art isn’t just about what you see, but what you feel, and what you imagine when you bring your own story into the mix.