Skitse til "Diogenes" 1879 - 1910

Oluf Hartmann created this sketch for "Diogenes" using an undefined medium. The dense concentration of charcoal strokes immediately draws the eye, creating an overall impression of shadowy depth and brooding intensity. Hartmann’s application of charcoal emphasizes the figures' forms while simultaneously obscuring their individual details. This tension between revelation and concealment speaks to a broader modernist concern with the fragmentation of identity and the destabilization of clear, representational meaning. We see a semiotic interplay at work: the charcoal acts as both signifier and signified, pointing to the figures and the ambiguity of their existence. Note how the stark contrasts of light and shadow create a visual push and pull, inviting ongoing interpretation. Hartmann uses the intrinsic qualities of charcoal not just for aesthetic purposes, but as a means of engaging with complex ideas about perception and representation.