Käthe Kollwitz
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Käthe Kollwitz
@kkollwitz.bsky.social
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Fan account of Käthe Kollwitz, a German artist, who worked with painting, printmaking and sculpture.
1867-1945
Automated #artbot thanks to @andreitr.bsky.social and @botfrens.bsky.social
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kkollwitz.bsky.social
The End https://www.wikiart.org/en/kathe-kollwitz/the-end-1897
Käthe Kollwitz's artwork "The End" powerfully captures the grim realities of poverty and despair, with figures visibly overcome by exhaustion and suffering within a cramped interior space. The piece is a striking example of Kollwitz's commitment to social justice, using her art to highlight the hardships faced by the working class in early 20th-century Germany.
November 18, 2025 at 5:02 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
The Parents (Die Eltern) from War (Krieg) http://www.moma.org/collection/works/69684
Gift of the Arnhold Family in memory of Sigrid Edwards
November 18, 2025 at 1:37 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
Young Girl in the Lap of Death (Tod hält Mädchen im Schoß) from the series Death (Tod) http://www.moma.org/collection/works/117568
Purchase
November 18, 2025 at 8:19 AM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
The Battlefield https://collections.artsmia.org/art/7282/
Käthe Kollwitz is acclaimed for her poignant scenes of human suffering, especially the tragic consequences of poverty and disease among women and children. A consummate draftsman, she relied on the graphic arts-in the form of prints, illustrations, and posters-as a powerful instrument of political allegiance to her left-leaning social agenda. She was anti-war, anti-violence, and a believer in the resilience of the human spirit. Kollwitz's dramatic night scene, part of her Peasant War print cycle, depicts a mother searching for her dead son among a field of corpses. In the soft light of the lantern, her weathered hand is illuminated as she touches the chin of a young man, perhaps her own child. Rather than portray the chaos and brutality of battle, Kollwitz shows us the agonizing aftermath of the fighting when the bodies of the dead were claimed by their loved ones. Though the scene alludes to the atrocities of a 16th-century workers revolt, it stands as a universal statement of a mother's love for her son, made more heartbreaking in that it foreshadows the death of Kollwitz's own son, Peter, who was killed in battle shortly after the start of the First World War (1914-1918).
November 17, 2025 at 6:04 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
The People https://collections.artsmia.org/art/56190/
Plate 7
November 17, 2025 at 3:03 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
Mother with a Child in her Arms (Mutter mit Kind auf dem Arm) (plate, folio 5) from the periodicial Der Bildermann, vol. 1, no. 2 (Apr 1916) http://www.moma.org/collection/works/15910
Gift of Mrs. Bertha M. Slattery
November 17, 2025 at 10:36 AM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
The Widow I https://www.wikiart.org/en/kathe-kollwitz/not_detected_235984
"The Widow I" by Käthe Kollwitz is a poignant woodcut depicting a solitary, grieving figure wrapped in a moment of profound sorrow. Kollwitz's stark use of contrast and expressive lines captures the emotional weight of loss, reflecting her deep empathy for the human condition.
November 16, 2025 at 4:36 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
The Carmagnole https://www.artic.edu/artworks/149054/
Margaret Fisher Endowment
November 16, 2025 at 2:52 PM
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The Unemployed http://kokoelmat.fng.fi/app?si=RAMSAY+120
"The Unemployed" by Käthe Kollwitz is a poignant etching depicting the despair of joblessness through the somber portrayal of a seated woman holding a child beside a despondent man. Kollwitz, known for her empathetic focus on social issues, uses strong, expressive lines to highlight the emotional weight of economic hardship.
November 16, 2025 at 8:58 AM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
Working Woman (with Earring) (Arbeiterfrau [mit dem Ohrring]) https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/74847
This artwork, "Working Woman (with Earring)," is a striking charcoal depiction by Käthe Kollwitz, capturing the resolute face of a laboring woman adorned with a simple earring. Known for her poignant portrayals of the working class, Kollwitz's piece powerfully conveys the strength and hardship faced by industrial society's women during the early 20th century.
November 15, 2025 at 2:48 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
Memorial for Karl Liebknecht https://www.wikiart.org/en/kathe-kollwitz/not_detected_235973
In "Memorial for Karl Liebknecht," Käthe Kollwitz captures the somber scene of mourners gathered around the radical socialist leader’s bier. Utilizing strong lines and contrasts, the woodcut powerfully conveys grief and reverence, reflecting Kollwitz’s deep empathy and commitment to social and political issues.
November 15, 2025 at 8:45 AM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
The Young Couple (Junges Paar) https://www.brooklynmuseum.org/opencollection/objects/54490
"The Young Couple (Junges Paar)" by Käthe Kollwitz presents an intimate and poignant scene, reflecting the themes of struggle and emotional depth characteristic of Kollwitz's work. Through her use of stark contrasts and expressive line work, she captures the complexities of youthful existence and human connection during uncertain times.
November 14, 2025 at 5:50 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
Woman with Dead Child (Frau mit totem Kind) http://www.moma.org/collection/works/273959
Acquired through the generosity of the Contemporary Drawing and Print Associates
November 14, 2025 at 1:15 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
Self-Portrait in Profile Toward Right https://www.wikiart.org/en/kathe-kollwitz/self-portrait-in-profile-toward-right-1938
This self-portrait by Käthe Kollwitz, rendered in charcoal, depicts the artist in a contemplative side profile, effectively capturing her introspective and somber essence. The artwork exemplifies Kollwitz's adept use of shading to convey depth and emotion, reflecting her dedication to exploring themes of human suffering and resilience.
November 14, 2025 at 10:42 AM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
The Widow II https://collections.artsmia.org/art/56245/
Plate 5 Käthe Kollwitz is remembered for her haunting scenes of suffering, especially the tragic consequences of poverty and disease among women and children. She was anti-war, anti-violence, and ultimately a believer in the triumph of the human spirit, and she skillfully used the graphic arts—prints, illustrations, posters—to promote her left-leaning social agenda. In her print cycle Krieg (War), Kollwitz exploited the woodcut’s stark graphic power to illustrate war’s tragic effect on wives, parents, and children left behind. Tied to no specific time or place, the heartrending images are both universal admonishments against war and personal memories of loss—her son Peter died in battle in 1914, two months after joining the German Army.
November 13, 2025 at 6:04 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
Death Seizes a Woman (Tod packt eine Frau) from the series Death (Tod) http://www.moma.org/collection/works/117570
Purchase
November 13, 2025 at 3:34 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
Prisoners Listening to Music https://collections.artsmia.org/art/45267/
two men--head and shoulders of man in lower left, looking forward; second man behind first, looking toward left, with proper left arm raised and hand in front of mouth Throughout her adult life, Käthe Kollwitz lived in one of Berlin's most impoverished neighborhoods, where her physician husband practiced. She was first attracted to the strength of the proletariat, a characteristic that she found beautiful; it was only with the passage of time that she began to feel intense compassion for their suffering. She saw their plight in tumultuous circumstances-the regime of Kaiser Wilhelm, World War I, the rise of Nazism, and eventually World War II. The motherly concern that pervades her work was heightened even more with the death of her son in World War I. In this lithograph, Kollwitz explores the internal lives of prisoners, quite possibly detained without just cause.
November 13, 2025 at 11:25 AM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
Bread! https://www.wikiart.org/en/kathe-kollwitz/bread-1924
Bread!
November 12, 2025 at 7:01 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
For Greater Berlin https://www.wikiart.org/en/kathe-kollwitz/for-greater-berlin-1912
This artwork, titled "For Greater Berlin," features Käthe Kollwitz's poignant depiction of a mother and child, highlighting social issues and the struggle for better living conditions in Berlin. The poster serves as an announcement for a public meeting, indicating Kollwitz's engagement with social advocacy and her influential role in early 20th-century art.
November 12, 2025 at 3:58 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
In Memoriam Karl Liebknecht (Gedenkblatt für Karl Liebknecht) http://www.moma.org/collection/works/71889
The Philip and Lynn Straus Foundation Fund
November 12, 2025 at 10:54 AM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
Conspiracy https://www.wikiart.org/en/kathe-kollwitz/not_detected_235965
Conspiracy
November 11, 2025 at 4:49 PM
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Outbreak https://www.wikiart.org/en/kathe-kollwitz/outbreak-1908
"Outbreak" by Käthe Kollwitz depicts a tumultuous scene of peasant rebellion marked by dynamic movement and fervent emotion, reflecting her empathetic focus on social struggles and upheaval. This powerful piece, part of her "Peasants' War" series, embodies Kollwitz's deep commitment to illustrating the plight and resilience of the oppressed through expressive lines and stark contrasts.
November 11, 2025 at 3:19 PM
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Death and Woman (Self-Portrait) https://www.wikiart.org/en/kathe-kollwitz/not_detected_235970
"Death and Woman (Self-Portrait)" by Käthe Kollwitz is a poignant drawing depicting the struggle between life and mortality, featuring a skeletal figure of death clutching at a woman while her child attempts to hold her back. Kollwitz's work often explores themes of loss and humanity, influenced by the personal impact of war and social injustice.
November 11, 2025 at 11:47 AM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
The Volunteers https://collections.artsmia.org/art/56193/
Plate 2 In this image a group of young boys have volunteered to fight for the cause and are being swept away by the figure of Death beating his ominous drum. Kollwitz's two sons, Hans and Peter, both volunteered for the army in 1914. Hans survived his duty but eighteen-year-old Peter was killed in action shortly after he enlisted. Kollwitz was deeply affected by her son's death and her pain was revisited when her grandson was fatally wounded in World War II. She felt strongly that too many Germans had sacrificed themselves to the death for the Fatherland and was outspoken in her belief that the young should not be killed for the cause.
November 10, 2025 at 6:00 PM
kkollwitz.bsky.social
Revolt (By the Gates of a Park) https://www.wikiart.org/en/kathe-kollwitz/revolt-by-the-gates-of-a-park-1897
"Revolt (By the Gates of a Park)" by Käthe Kollwitz vividly captures the raw emotions and desperation of a group of people pushing against ornate gates, symbolizing resistance and social struggle. Kollwitz, renowned for her poignant depictions of inequality and suffering, uses dramatic contrasts in this lithograph to convey the intensity of the moment.
November 10, 2025 at 3:49 PM