Image Title
Preview
Creation Date
2017
Description or Artist's Statement
Käthe Kollwitz (1867-1945), born into an ardently socialist family, examined the impacts of war, poverty, and oppression in her art, and worked in the midst of tremendous political and social upheaval in Germany. Writing in her diary that she wished to depict a figure "who sees the suffering of the world," Kollwitz was an empathetic witness and passionate observer of the world. Reflecting on her work, the art historian Lucy Lippard noted "the dramatic depth and formal weight of Kollwitz' own images are carved in the flesh and bone of her subjects' lives."
Kollwitz' works are a siren call to the effects of war and oppression. Often not direct reporting on an event, the works nevertheless echo the bleak realities of her contemporaneous comrades.
Photos courtesy of the Augustana Photo Bureau
Document Type
Image
Keywords
Augustana College, Käthe Kollwitz
Caption
Käthe Kollwitz' Works