Tre studier til "Macbeth og heksene" 1879 - 1910

Curator: What a fascinating sheet of studies we have here. This is Oluf Hartmann’s "Tre studier til 'Macbeth og heksene'", or "Three Studies for 'Macbeth and the Witches'," created between 1879 and 1910. It is a work on paper rendered in ink and charcoal. Editor: My initial feeling is… agitated. The energy is palpable, even though the lines are so minimal. I get a real sense of churning, both physically and emotionally, from these sketches. It feels almost desperate. Curator: That's astute. Hartmann, captivated by Shakespeare’s Macbeth, seems intent on capturing the raw psychological impact of the witches' prophecy on the play's protagonist. The clustering figures and frenzied marks could represent inner turmoil made manifest. Hartmann frequently delved into themes of madness and the supernatural. It's worth recalling how entrenched beliefs were surrounding such phenomena at the time, coloring people's understanding. Editor: The interesting thing about the frenzied, desperate strokes is the contrast between the sketches and what I can see and identify. They aren’t wild splashes; they look deliberately messy. Charcoal, ink, paper… they’re pretty humble tools for visualizing something as elaborate as Shakespeare, but it also emphasizes that they are preliminary sketches, exercises even, for a bigger final artwork. The sketches feel economical but filled with tension. Curator: I see these sketches as explorations of power, prophecy, and the manipulation of the protagonist, Macbeth, as forces driving human actions, captured here within these three separate glimpses. One almost feels a glimpse of primordial power in the witchery. Editor: Perhaps. Although it may appear to be minimal, one is also reminded how materiality serves an argument; for these quick sketches, the material process underscores how people often turn to art to reflect reality around them. It would be fascinating to know the availability, even costs, of different paper and drawing tools at that moment for Danish artists. Curator: Looking closely at these figures, the visual echoes from Norse mythology add to the psychological weight. Editor: Absolutely. Even incomplete and sketchy, there is something very intense about this one single sheet of paper!