Dædalus og Ikarus 1905

Oluf Hartmann’s etching of Daedalus and Icarus depicts a scene shrouded in mystery. The stark monochrome palette and the rough, almost primitive strokes, evoke a sense of ancient myth. Hartmann's medium conveys weight and texture. Look at the way the lines define Icarus's youthful form, full of an almost painful tension, yearning. He is ready to take flight despite the burden of the story that we, the viewers, carry with us. You can feel his anticipation, but we can't ignore Daedalus's quiet resignation in the foreground. As a painter, I often think about the countless choices artists make, each mark a decision, a path taken or rejected. Here, the artist uses the etched line to trap light and shadow, hinting at both the hope and the inevitable tragedy of the tale. In the end, these artists, these storytellers, they're all in conversation, aren't they? Speaking across time through the language of feeling, rendered in line and form. Hartmann speaks to us of ambition, of warning, of the human condition, with an immediacy that transcends the years.