Macbeth V (The Vision of Lady Macbeth) 1918

Wilhelm Lehmbruck made this print, Macbeth V (The Vision of Lady Macbeth), and the way he's scratched into the plate tells a story all of its own. You can just see him working away at the metal with all that energy! What strikes me here is the frantic mark-making that creates the figures. The king's cloak is made up of these urgent, vertical lines, and they seem to trap him, bind him to the weight of his deeds. Look closely at his face; it's all sharp angles and deep shadows, making it seem like his skin is stretched tight over the bone. He is truly haunted! There is something of Goya's prints here, the way he captured the darkness of the human condition, but Lehmbruck brings a modern, expressionistic edge to it all. It feels very personal, very raw. Ultimately, this piece isn't just about Macbeth; it's about the torment we inflict on ourselves.