To kvinder slås om en mand 1906

Oluf Hartmann made this etching, titled 'Two Women Fight Over a Man', in the early 20th century. Look how the figures emerge from a dark, roughly etched background, a technique that reminds me of Goya's bleakness. There is a real struggle to see what’s happening, and I think that’s the point. The surface is a mass of cross hatching and jagged lines, building up a density that feels claustrophobic. Check out the man's outstretched arm, how the lines don't quite describe form but instead create a sense of desperate movement. Hartmann isn't interested in perfect representation; he is interested in the raw, messy process of artmaking as a way to convey something about human experience. Hartmann’s work, with its focus on psychological drama, reminds me of Munch’s explorations of anxiety and emotional turmoil, but with a more brutal, less refined edge. It's a reminder that art doesn’t always have to be pretty; it can be a space for working through the darker aspects of life.