Kelsey+Farmer

"I have never worked coldly ... but rather, in a certain sense, with my own blood. Those who see my art must feel that." **
 * Kathe Kollwitz

= = Kathe Kollitz was born as the fifth child, and last in her family, in 1867 in present day Russia. Like her mother, Kathe grew up in a religious, political, and socialist household. both of her parents were involved in Socialist movements throughout Prussia. When her artistic ability was realized, her mother sent her away to study art so that, as a girl, Kathe would realize the best possible chance of succeeding. She studied art in Munich and Berlin until her marriage in 1881. Although she was also trained to paint and sculpt, her interest lied in etching and lithography. Her work centered on the great social schemes of the time and is seen as profoundly political. In 1914, her son, Peter, was killed in the first World War fighting for Germany. Because of the death of her son, and the climax of women's rights movement in the 1920s, she produced a series of works reflecting her concern with the themes of war, poverty, working class life and the lives of ordinary women. In 1936, after Hitler had came into power in Germany, Kathe Kollwitz was classified as 'degenerate' and her works were removed from galleries. In 1942, her grandson was killed in the Second World War. Because of the death of her son and grandson, and the political and social distressed placed upon Germany after the first world war, much of Kollwitz's work deals with anti-war and mothering themes. After her home was bombed and she was forced to flee for her life, she wrote in one of her last letters, "war accompanies me to the end." She died on April 22, 1945, two weeks before the end of WWII.



||  || //Woman with Dead Child// is a lithograph made by Kathe Kollwitz created in 1903. This etching is part of a series of drawings, charcoals, and etchings also entitled “Woman with Dead Child” and all produced in 1903. What started off as a series of works dedicated to the Virgin Mary mourning the loss of her dead son quickly evolved into a group of work without any theological reference. These etchings are now believed to be a representation of Kollwitz’s personal loss of her son who died in WWI and grandson who died in WWII. Kollwitz’ style is extremely gestural and this piece is a perfect example. She works with quick lines that capture the energy of the subject. In Woman with Dead Child, it looks as if Kollwitz witnessed this event happening and sketched it quickly. This piece is also objective. The figures of the woman and her child are visually obvious, however, Kollwitz takes a semi-abstract approach to this objectivism. She does not detail the figures or provide hard, identifying lines. She uses values and textures to identify the subject and also provide a mood to the piece itself. “ Most of the lines the artist uses to shape and shade the forms are aggressive, taut, and meaningful, contributing energy to the surface.2 ” We see one closed eye and her nose nestled into his skin. The eyebrows are visible which give the viewer a sense of the expressiveness Kollwitz was looking for. Kollwitz uses her drawing style to renders the mother’s feelings as explosive. The artist made this piece using lithography. Using a flat plate or stone, an image is drawn onto it then transferred to paper in a process involving water and ink1. This technique allows Kollwitz to create a very plastic space. Using principles of organization, she creates a realistically gestural image. The focus is extremely important, using dark values to emphasize the point at which the woman nestles her head into her dead child. This is the point of the drawing with the most emotion attached. The balance is also important to reading the image. We see a mother and dead child, but not centered in the window plane. The bottom half of the child’s body leaves the window but the mother is completely visual, creating more emphasis on her and her emotion rather than on the figure of the dead child. The most important organizational principle used is the movement. The strong, thick hands of the mother look to be drawing the child inward. Her legs are crossed as if she collapsed on the floor with her child. Kollwitz creates an image as though it portraying just a fragment of a second in time; as if the mother was moving before the image was captured, and after. Kollwitz spent much of her artistic life creating images that emphasize the dismay and agony of war and death as shown in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AzabzZft6WQ. She was dedicated to expressing her reaction to what was going on in the world around her3. I believe that this work specifically was very personal for Kollwitz on account of the tragedy of her son’s death. The fact that he and also her grandson died in war is only more befitting to Kollwitz’s campaign. She wanted to express in artwork the extreme emotional pain that she, and any other mother who has lost a child, felt. This piece is profoundly powerful4. The thought of witnessing a mother holding her dead child like this is devastating. The thought of being that mother is one that I cannot even begin to fathom. Kollwitz was a significant part of the art world. She revolutionized lithographs by creating moving, and influential pieces. She used her artwork to campaign against social issues that were destructing the world she lived in. Hunger, war, poverty and death were all great issues of the early 20th century especially during the times of the world wars. Kollwitz significantly contributed to the world of art by using her artwork to bring public attention and draw emotional response to these issues.
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CITATIONS 1. Hughes, Ann, and Hebe Vernon-Morris. The Printmaking Bible. San Fransisco: Chronicle LLC, 2008. Print. 2. "Kollwitz, Käthe: Woman with Dead Child." Art Annotations. New York University, School of Medicine, 19 Jan. 2004. Web. 13 Apr. 2010. . 3. Sossan, Joanne V. "Focus on the Light Instead of the Shadows." Art and Activities 138.5 (2006): 26-27. PROquest. Web. 13 Apr. 2010. . 4. Elliot, Farar. "Kathe Kollwitz: Woman with Dead Child 1903." Off Our Back: A Woman's News Journal 20.8 (1990): 18. Academic Search Premier. Web. 13 Apr. 2010. .// // "Kathe Kollwitz." // HumanitiesWeb - Welcome  //. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. . "K." // Limited Edition Graphics - Selection of 20th Century Artists  //. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.  "Kathe Kollwitz." // RoGallery.com - Online Auctions & Select Artworks Online  //. Web. 24 Feb. 2010.  Kearns, Martha. // Kathe Kollwitz: Woman and Artist  //. New York: Talman Company, 1976. Print