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

Gustav Hagemann gave us this folk scene with etching, the needle scratching into the plate with such immediacy. Look at the sun and the moon—both have faces, like they’re watching over the whole landscape. I wonder what Hagemann was thinking, creating this world of devils, Christs, and ordinary folk amongst animals. It feels like a dream, or some kind of fable. The lines are so simple, but they capture a whole mood, a whole story. I feel like he’s channeling something ancient and timeless here. It is somehow reminiscent of the linear narratives found in the work of artists like Paul Klee and the raw expressiveness of early German Expressionists. Look at the way he draws those figures, especially the devil with the ring—like he’s just pulled it straight from his imagination, onto the plate. These kinds of paintings remind me that art is one big conversation and we are all in the mix! Everyone is just riffing off each other across time.