Untitled 1977

This etching was pulled by Franz Hitzler sometime after 1946. I can almost see the artist in his studio, hunched over the plate, scratching away with a needle, coaxing these shadowy figures into existence. The lines are so active; it's like the whole scene is vibrating. A dark tangle of marks, like a nervous energy made visible. It’s a monochromatic world of blacks, grays, and whites where monstrous figures emerge. It is unsettling and visceral. The bold, dark strokes give the image structure while the finer, scratchier lines fill in the details, creating a really interesting tension. I wonder if Hitzler was thinking about Goya's darker works, maybe wrestling with similar demons? Whatever the case, it's a powerful piece. Artists are always in conversation with each other, you know, riffing on the same themes, pushing the boundaries. I love that this print leaves so much open to interpretation, it keeps the conversation going.