Dædalus og Ikarus 1905

Oluf Hartmann made this etching, Dædalus og Ikarus, sometime between 1890 and 1910. The figures emerge from a dark, almost velvety ground. It’s like Hartmann is pulling them out of the shadows, one careful mark at a time. The figures are built with a real awareness of tone. The way he’s worked the plate gives the image this gritty texture, like charcoal almost. I’m really drawn to the back of the standing figure. See how Hartmann suggests the muscles and bones with just a few lines? It's powerful, but also delicate. The darkness surrounding the figures isn't just empty space, it feels alive, like a character in itself. This reminds me of Käthe Kollwitz, another artist who used printmaking to explore themes of struggle and the human condition. But where Kollwitz is often direct, Hartmann leaves things a bit more open. Is Daedalus warning Icarus? Or is he sending him on his way? It’s a story we all know, but Hartmann’s version leaves room for doubt, for a multitude of feelings.